Augmented reality scrollbar

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for displaying a group of virtual objects and a scrollbar in a virtual, augmented, or mixed reality environment are disclosed. The group of virtual objects can be scrolled, and a virtual control panel can be displayed indicating objects that are upcoming in the scroll. The scrollbar can provide real-time feedback that can give the user an indication of the point from which the scrolling started, the point at which the scrolling currently has reached, an amount of the group of virtual objects that are displayed to the user relative to the total amount of the group of virtual objects, or a relative position of the currently-viewable virtual objects relative to the entire group of virtual objects.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/681,888, filed Jun. 7, 2018, entitled “AUGMENTED REALITYSCROLLBAR,” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to virtual, augmented, or mixed realityimaging and visualization systems and more particularly to rendering ascrollbar in a field of view of the user that includes one or more realor virtual objects.

BACKGROUND

Modern computing and display technologies have facilitated thedevelopment of systems for so called “virtual reality”, “augmentedreality”, or “mixed reality” experiences, wherein digitally reproducedimages or portions thereof are presented to a user in a manner wherethey seem to be, or may be perceived as, real. A virtual reality, or“VR”, scenario typically involves presentation of digital or virtualimage information without transparency to other actual real-world visualinput; an augmented reality, or “AR”, scenario typically involvespresentation of digital or virtual image information as an augmentationto visualization of the actual world around the user; a mixed reality,or “MR”, related to merging real and virtual worlds to produce newenvironments where physical and virtual objects co-exist and interact inreal time. As it turns out, the human visual perception system is verycomplex, and producing a VR, AR, or MR technology that facilitates acomfortable, natural-feeling, rich presentation of virtual imageelements amongst other virtual or real-world imagery elements ischallenging. Systems and methods disclosed herein address variouschallenges related to VR, AR and MR technology.

SUMMARY

In various aspects, a wearable display system can include a userinterface that presents to the user a plurality of interactable virtualitems arranged in a grid (regular or irregular) of virtual content(e.g., icons, thumbnails, or other graphics) disposed at one or moredepths. A thumbnail can comprise a miniature representation of thevirtual item (e.g., a document page or an image) that can be used toidentify the virtual item by its contents. In some implementations,selecting (e.g., clicking or double-clicking) the thumbnail opens thecontent of the virtual item (e.g., by executing an applicationconfigured to run, play, view, or edit the virtual content). A thumbnailcan be rendered so that it appears at one depth (e.g., as a 2Dthumbnail) or at multiple depths (e.g., so that it appears 3D). Inresponse to a cursor moving over or behind one of the thumbnails in thegrid, the thumbnail for that item may be rendered with one or more ofthe following effects: expanding in size, including a focus indicator(e.g., a halo surrounding at least a portion of the thumbnail), movingto a different depth (e.g., to a depth appearing closer to the user), orhaving different virtual content (e.g., a higher or lower resolutionimage, a caption, a sound, play of a video or animation of a graphic,etc.). The thumbnails may be ordered according to one or more groupingcriteria (e.g., alphabetically by item name, content type, date, etc.).

The grid of thumbnails may be scrollable by the user (e.g., using head,eye, or body gestures, or user input from a totem). During scrolling,edges of the grid (e.g., in directions of scrolling) may dynamicallydisplay indications of virtual content that is next to be displayed(e.g., upcoming content) during the scroll (e.g., as semi-transparentthumbnails, optionally at a different depth than the edge of the grid).

The user interface can include a scrollbar to provide real-time feedbackcorresponding to the scrolled content. The scrollbar can include a barthat moves within a trough. The position of the bar can represent whatcontent within the content library the viewer is currently viewingwithin the viewable window. The length of the bar can represent thefraction of the content library that is being rendered within theviewable window. During scrolling, the bar can include a temporarilyfixed edge that indicates the initial position in the virtual contentfrom which the user started scrolling and a movable edge that indicatesthe current position in the virtual content. When scrolling ceases, thetemporarily fixed edge can become unfixed and move (or snap) to a finalposition such that the bar has a length and position representative ofthe fractional amount and location of the virtual content beingrendered.

In various aspects, the disclosure provides the ornamental design for adisplay screen or a portion thereof with virtual content or with atransitional (e.g., animated) graphical user interface. An augmented,mixed, or virtual reality display device can comprise the display screenor portion thereof.

Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter describedin this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will becomeapparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. Neitherthis summary nor the following detailed description purports to defineor limit the scope of the inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an illustration of a mixed reality scenario with certainvirtual reality objects, and certain physical objects viewed by aperson.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an example of a wearable system.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates aspects of an approach for simulatingthree-dimensional imagery using multiple depth planes.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an example of a waveguide stack foroutputting image information to a user.

FIG. 5 shows example exit beams that may be outputted by a waveguide.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an optical system including awaveguide apparatus, an optical coupler subsystem to optically couplelight to or from the waveguide apparatus, and a control subsystem, usedin the generation of a multi-focal volumetric display, image, or lightfield.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example of a wearable system.

FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram of an example of a method of renderingvirtual content in relation to recognized objects.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of another example of a wearable system.

FIG. 10 is a process flow diagram of an example of a method fordetermining user input to a wearable system.

FIG. 11 is a process flow diagram of an example of a method forinteracting with a virtual user interface.

FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate various examples of an object and cursor thatcan be perceived by the user via the wearable system.

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate non-limiting embodiments of a focusindicator and a cursor.

FIGS. 14A-14C illustrate an example of a cursor and an object in a 3Denvironment perceivable by the user via the wearable display system.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate examples of implementations of multiplefocus indicators having various intensities, positions, or spatialextents based on a cursor's proximity to an object's location within theenvironment.

FIGS. 16A-16D illustrate an example of a process of rendering a focusindicator.

FIG. 17 shows an example of a grid and user input on a totem (with atouch sensitive surface).

FIGS. 18A-18C illustrate an example of a cursor moving toward an objecthaving a focus indicator.

FIGS. 19-22 illustrate various examples of focus indicators that can berendered by the system.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart that illustrates an example method for renderinga focus indicator in a 3D scene.

FIGS. 24-28 are front views of embodiments of a display screen or aportion thereof with virtual content.

FIGS. 29A-29F are front views of an embodiment of a transitionalsequence for a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display screen or aportion thereof.

FIGS. 30A-30F illustrate an embodiment of a transitional sequence for aGUI on a display screen or a portion thereof.

FIGS. 31A-31C illustrate an embodiment of a transitional sequence for aGUI on a display screen or a portion thereof.

FIGS. 32A-32F illustrate an embodiment of a transitional sequence of aGUI on a display screen or a portion thereof. The GUI comprises ascrollbar.

Throughout the drawings, reference numbers may be re-used to indicatecorrespondence between referenced elements. The drawings are provided toillustrate example embodiments described herein and are not intended tolimit the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, the figures in thepresent disclosure are for illustration purposes and are not to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

A wearable device can include a display for presenting an interactiveVR/AR/MR environment. The VR/AR/MR environment can include data elementsthat may be interacted with by the user through a variety of poses, suchas, e.g., head pose, eye gaze, body pose, or user input through a userinput device. To provide the user with an accurate sense of the user'sinteraction with real or virtual objects in the VR/AR/MR environment,the system may render an on-screen visual aid to assist the user innavigating among and selecting or interacting with objects in theenvironment.

In some cases, on-screen visual aids can include a virtual cursor(sometimes also referred to herein as a reticle) that responds to userinteraction (e.g., user input via a hand-held totem) and identifies (tothe user) the position of a movable indicator that can be used to selector interact with objects in the VR/AR/MR environment. For example, theuser may move his or her thumb on a touch-sensitive portion of a totemto move the cursor around in the 3D VR/AR/MR environment. When thecursor is sufficiently close to or hovers over an object, the user maybe able to select or interact with the object (e.g., by pressing thetouch-sensitive portion of the totem), which may initiate furthercontext-dependent functionality by the wearable device. For example, theuser may move a cursor near a virtual video display that is showing amovie and select the display to bring up a menu of other movie choices,volume control, and so forth. In some cases, the cursor is displayed tothe user so that the user can readily locate the cursor in theenvironment. This may occur in relatively sparse environments wherethere are relatively few objects. In other cases, the cursor is notdisplayed to the user and the focus indicators described herein (e.g.,glows around objects) are used to provide visual cues to the user as tothe location of the cursor (e.g., the cursor is positioned near theobject with the brightest glow). This may occur in relatively denseenvironments where there are relatively many objects and the display ofthe cursor itself may not be needed or may be distracting.

In contrast, a conventional cursor is rendered with no consideration ofscene content. In other words, as the cursor is moved around theVR/AR/MR environment, the cursor moves over (e.g., is rendered in front)of the objects within the environment. Continuing with the exampleabove, the conventional cursor may appear in front of the virtual videodisplay which not only occludes the virtual display but distracts theuser from the content being shown. For example, because the cursorappears in front of the content, the user may tend to focus more on thecursor itself rather than the content.

Consequently, when a cursor is hovering over an object or is used toselect the object, the cursor actually occludes or covers at least aportion of the object. This obstructed view of the object can greatlyimpact a user's experience within the environment. For example, theobject can include content such as text, images, or the like, and theuser may find difficulty in selecting the object while also viewing thecontent of the object.

While these problems are present in a 2D environment, they can beexacerbated in a 3D environment. For example, in a 2D environment, theobjects and the cursor do not have depth. Thus, rendering the cursor infront of an object consists of rendering the cursor and the object onthe same plane. In contrast, in a 3D environment, a cursor and theobjects do have depth relative to the user. Accordingly, at a giventime, a cursor in a 3D environment is not necessarily at the same depthas an object in that environment. For example, the cursor may be closerto or farther away from the user relative to an object. Due to thisdifference in depth, if the user focuses on one of the object or thecursor, the other may appear blurry to the user due to the accommodationdisparity between the relative depths. Further, even in instances wherea cursor and an object do have the same or similar depth within a 3Denvironment relative to the user, for the cursor to “roll over” theobject in 3D space, the system must change the depth of the cursor toavoid the appearance of the cursor moving through the object. Forexample, as illustrated in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the system may move thecursor closer to the user such that the cursor is displayed as if itwere located between the object and the user. By rendering the cursorcloser to the user, the system is effectively (and possibly undesirably)emphasizing the cursor relative to the object, since a person's eyes aretypically drawn to objects that are closer to the viewer, and a user ismore likely to focus on the cursor because it appears closer to the userthan the object.

To address these and other problems, embodiments of the system canrender an on-screen visual aid that is content aware. For example, whena cursor and an object overlap, the system can render the cursor behind(rather than in front of) the object or not render the cursor at all(because the cursor is behind the object and not visible to the user).Thus, the cursor does not block the object from the user's vision, andthe system does not inadvertently emphasize the cursor by rendering itcloser to the user. Embodiments of such a cursor (or reticle) aresometimes referred to as an eclipse cursor or an eclipse reticle,because the target object “eclipses” the cursor.

When a cursor is eclipsed by an object, it may be difficult for the userto get an accurate sense of where the user is pointing toward within thescene or an accurate sense of where the cursor is currently located.That is because the cursor is at least partially blocked by the object.Accordingly, to continue to offer the user an accurate sense of thecursor's position within the environment, the system can render another(or an alternative) on-screen visual aid (e.g., a focus indicator) toemphasize the object when a cursor moves behind (or within a distancethreshold of) that object.

A focus indicator can include a halo, a color, a perceived size or depthchange (e.g., causing the object to appear closer or larger whenselected), shading, virtual rays, or other graphical highlightingemanating from or associated with the object which tends to draw theuser's attention. For example, the focus indicator can include a glowthat appears to radiate outward from an object, as if a glowing lightsource were situated behind the object (so that the object “eclipses”the light source). The intensity of the glow may be more intense closeto the outer edges of the object and less intense at larger distancesfrom the outer edges of the object. Because the focus indicator does notocclude the object (since the focus indicator is typically rendered atleast partially surrounding the object), the focus indicator insteademphasizes the object and advantageously provides the user with auser-friendly, non-distracting alternative to the cursor to indicatewhich object is currently being interacted with.

In some cases, a cursor can appear to have an attractive effect relativeto an object such that a proximity of the cursor to the object affectsan intensity or positioning of a focus indicator or the cursor. Theattractive effect may tend to act as if the cursor and object (or focusindicator) were magnetically or gravitationally attracted to each other.For example, in some cases, each object may have a focus indicator(e.g., outer glow), and an intensity, size, or location of the focusindicator may vary based on the location of the cursor relative to theobject (or focus indicator). For example, as the cursor moves closer toan object, the focus indicator of that object can become brighter, moreintense, or move in the direction of (e.g., as if pulled towards) thecursor. As the cursor is moved closer to the object, the system mayrender the cursor is if it were being pulled behind the object, while atthe same time increasing an intensity of the focus indicator. Thisbehavior may permit the user to more naturally and easily selectobjects, because as the cursor gets close to a desired, target object,the cursor is pulled toward (or snaps onto) the closest object withoutthe user having to make fine adjustments to position the cursor on thetarget object. The cursor therefore may behave as if it had mass orinertia (so that the cursor tends to keep moving in an initially applieddirection) and is pulled by the attractive effect toward nearby objects.As the cursor's location within the environment changes, so can anintensity of a focus indicator(s) associated with object(s) nearby thecursor.

In some cases, the system can assign a focus indicator to more than oneobject or a focus indicator can have a varying intensity or glow whichcan fade in or out, for example, based on an object's proximity to thecursor's location within the environment. Accordingly, one or more focusindicators can offer positional feedback to the user by emphasizing oneor more objects, for example, at varying intensities. The varyingintensity or glow can shift in position as user input shifts to providesustained input feedback and an accurate sense of cursor position.

In various aspects, the system can include a user interface thatpresents to the user a plurality of interactable virtual items arrangedin a grid (regular or irregular) of virtual content (e.g., icons,thumbnails, etc.) disposed at one or more depths. In response to acursor moving behind one of the thumbnails in the grid, the thumbnailfor that item may be rendered with one or more of the following effects:expanding in size, including a focus indicator (e.g., a halo surroundingat least a portion of the thumbnail), moving to a different depth (e.g.,to a depth appearing closer to the user), or having different virtualcontent (e.g., a higher resolution image, a caption, a sound, play of avideo or animation of a graphic, etc.). The thumbnails may be orderedaccording to one or more grouping criteria (e.g., alphabetically by itemname, content type, date, etc.).

The grid of thumbnails may be scrollable by the user (e.g., using head,eye, or body gestures, or user input from a totem). During scrolling,edges of the grid (e.g., in directions of scrolling) may dynamicallydisplay indications of virtual content that is next to be displayedduring the scroll (e.g., as semi-transparent thumbnails, optionally at adifferent depth than the edge of the grid).

In some cases, only a fraction of virtual content may be visible to theuser via a viewable window that is rendered by the GUI (the viewablewindow that includes the virtual content may be all or just a portion ofthe field of view of the user). That is, the virtual content displayedin the GUI can be a subset of a content library that includes additionalhidden (e.g., un-rendered) content that extends beyond the borders ofthe viewable window. A scrolling sequence initiated by the user canbring into view one or more portions of this hidden content. The GUI caninclude a scrollbar to provide real-time feedback corresponding to thescrolled content. The scrollbar can include a bar that moves within atrough. The position of the bar can represent what content within thecontent library the viewer is currently viewing within the viewablewindow. The length of the bar can represent the fraction of the contentlibrary that is being rendered within the viewable window. Duringscrolling, the bar can include a temporarily fixed edge that indicatesthe initial position in the virtual content from which the user startedscrolling and a movable edge that indicates the current position in thevirtual content. When scrolling ceases, the temporarily fixed edge canbecome unfixed and move (or snap) to a final position such that the barhas a length and position representative of the fractional amount andlocation of the virtual content being rendered.

Thus, embodiments of the scrollbar advantageously provide feedback thatcan give the user an indication of the point from which the scrollingstarted, the point at which the scrolling currently has reached, anamount and position of the virtual content that is displayed in theviewable window relative to the total amount of the virtual content, andso forth.

Examples of 3D Display of a Wearable System

A wearable system (also referred to herein as an augmented reality (AR)system) can be configured to present two-dimensional (2D) orthree-dimensional (3D) virtual images to a user. The images may be stillimages, frames of a video, or a video, in combination or the like. Thewearable system can include a wearable device that can present a VR, AR,or MR environment, alone or in combination, for user interaction. Thewearable device can be a head-mounted device (HMD) which is usedinterchangeably as an AR device (ARD).

FIG. 1 depicts an illustration of a mixed reality scenario with certainvirtual reality objects, and certain physical objects viewed by aperson. In FIG. 1, an MR scene 100 is depicted wherein a user of an MRtechnology sees a real-world park-like setting 110 featuring people,trees, buildings in the background, and a concrete platform 120. Inaddition to these items, the user of the MR technology also perceivesthat he “sees” a robot statue 130 standing upon the real-world platform120, and a cartoon-like avatar character 140 flying by which seems to bea personification of a bumble bee, even though these elements do notexist in the real world.

In order for the 3D display to produce a true sensation of depth, andmore specifically, a simulated sensation of surface depth, it may bedesirable for each point in the display's visual field to generate anaccommodative response corresponding to its virtual depth. If theaccommodative response to a display point does not correspond to thevirtual depth of that point, as determined by the binocular depth cuesof convergence and stereopsis, the human eye may experience anaccommodation conflict, resulting in unstable imaging, harmful eyestrain, headaches, and, in the absence of accommodation information,almost a complete lack of surface depth.

VR, AR, and MR experiences can be provided by display systems havingdisplays in which images corresponding to a plurality of depth planesare provided to a viewer. The images may be different for each depthplane (e.g., provide slightly different presentations of a scene orobject) and may be separately focused by the viewer's eyes, therebyhelping to provide the user with depth cues based on the accommodationof the eye required to bring into focus different image features for thescene located on different depth plane or based on observing differentimage features on different depth planes being out of focus. Asdiscussed elsewhere herein, such depth cues provide credible perceptionsof depth.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of wearable system 200. The wearablesystem 200 includes a display 220, and various mechanical and electronicmodules and systems to support the functioning of display 220. Thedisplay 220 may be coupled to a frame 230, which is wearable by a user,wearer, or viewer 210. The display 220 can be positioned in front of theeyes of the user 210. The display 220 can present AR/VR/MR content to auser. For example, the display 220 can embody (e.g., render and presentto the user) the eclipse cursor icons and focus indicators describedbelow. Examples of ornamental designs for the eclipse cursor icons andfocus indicators are shown in FIGS. 24-29F. The display 220 can comprisea head mounted display (HMD) that is worn on the head of the user. Insome embodiments, a speaker 240 is coupled to the frame 230 andpositioned adjacent the ear canal of the user (in some embodiments,another speaker, not shown, is positioned adjacent the other ear canalof the user to provide for stereo/shapeable sound control).

The wearable system 200 can include an outward-facing imaging system 464(shown in FIG. 4) which observes the world in the environment around theuser. The wearable system 200 can also include an inward-facing imagingsystem 462 (shown in FIG. 4) which can track the eye movements of theuser. The inward-facing imaging system may track either one eye'smovements or both eyes' movements. The inward-facing imaging system 462may be attached to the frame 230 and may be in electrical communicationwith the processing modules 260 or 270, which may process imageinformation acquired by the inward-facing imaging system to determine,e.g., the pupil diameters or orientations of the eyes, eye movements oreye pose of the user 210.

As an example, the wearable system 200 can use the outward-facingimaging system 464 or the inward-facing imaging system 462 to acquireimages of a pose of the user. The images may be still images, frames ofa video, or a video, in combination or the like.

The display 220 can be operatively coupled 250, such as by a wired leador wireless connectivity, to a local data processing module 260 whichmay be mounted in a variety of configurations, such as fixedly attachedto the frame 230, fixedly attached to a helmet or hat worn by the user,embedded in headphones, or otherwise removably attached to the user 210(e.g., in a backpack-style configuration, in a belt-coupling styleconfiguration).

The local processing and data module 260 may comprise a hardwareprocessor, as well as digital memory, such as non-volatile memory (e.g.,flash memory), both of which may be utilized to assist in theprocessing, caching, and storage of data. The data may include data a)captured from sensors (which may be, e.g., operatively coupled to theframe 230 or otherwise attached to the user 210), such as image capturedevices (e.g., cameras in the inward-facing imaging system or theoutward-facing imaging system), microphones, inertial measurement units(IMUs) (e.g., accelerometers, gravitometers, magnetometers, etc.),compasses, global positioning system (GPS) units, radio devices, orgyroscopes; or b) acquired or processed using remote processing module270 or remote data repository 280, possibly for passage to the display220 after such processing or retrieval. The local processing and datamodule 260 may be operatively coupled by communication links 262 or 264,such as via wired or wireless communication links, to the remoteprocessing module 270 or remote data repository 280 such that theseremote modules are available as resources to the local processing anddata module 260. In addition, remote processing module 280 and remotedata repository 280 may be operatively coupled to each other.

In some embodiments, the remote processing module 270 may comprise oneor more processors configured to analyze and process data or imageinformation. In some embodiments, the remote data repository 280 maycomprise a digital data storage facility, which may be available throughthe internet or other networking configuration in a “cloud” resourceconfiguration. In some embodiments, all data is stored and allcomputations are performed in the local processing and data module,allowing fully autonomous use from a remote module.

The human visual system is complicated and providing a realisticperception of depth is challenging. Without being limited by theory, itis believed that viewers of an object may perceive the object as beingthree-dimensional due to a combination of vergence and accommodation.Vergence movements (i.e., rolling movements of the pupils toward or awayfrom each other to converge the lines of sight of the eyes to fixateupon an object) of the two eyes relative to each other are closelyassociated with focusing (or “accommodation”) of the lenses of the eyes.Under normal conditions, changing the focus of the lenses of the eyes,or accommodating the eyes, to change focus from one object to anotherobject at a different distance will automatically cause a matchingchange in vergence to the same distance, under a relationship known asthe “accommodation-vergence reflex.” Likewise, a change in vergence willtrigger a matching change in accommodation, under normal conditions.Display systems that provide a better match between accommodation andvergence may form more realistic and comfortable simulations ofthree-dimensional imagery.

FIG. 3 illustrates aspects of an approach for simulating athree-dimensional imagery using multiple depth planes. With reference toFIG. 3, objects at various distances from eyes 302 and 304 on the z-axisare accommodated by the eyes 302 and 304 so that those objects are infocus. The eyes 302 and 304 assume particular accommodated states tobring into focus objects at different distances along the z-axis.Consequently, a particular accommodated state may be said to beassociated with a particular one of depth planes 306, which has anassociated focal distance, such that objects or parts of objects in aparticular depth plane are in focus when the eye is in the accommodatedstate for that depth plane. In some embodiments, three-dimensionalimagery may be simulated by providing different presentations of animage for each of the eyes 302 and 304, and also by providing differentpresentations of the image corresponding to each of the depth planes.While shown as being separate for clarity of illustration, it will beappreciated that the fields of view of the eyes 302 and 304 may overlap,for example, as distance along the z-axis increases. In addition, whileshown as flat for the ease of illustration, it will be appreciated thatthe contours of a depth plane may be curved in physical space, such thatall features in a depth plane are in focus with the eye in a particularaccommodated state. The depth planes 306 need not be set at fixeddistances from the display (or user's eyes 302, 304) but can bydynamically updated. For example, if the user looks at virtual contentin a near-field to the user (e.g., within about 1-2 m), the array ofdepth planes shown in FIG. 3 may be adjusted to be closer to the user,which increases the depth resolution in the near-field. Likewise, if theuser looks at virtual content in the mid-field (e.g., 2 m to 5 m) orfar-field (e.g., 5 m to infinity), the depth planes can be adjusted tofall primarily within those distances. The depth planes can be adjusted,for example, by adjusting the waveguide stack described with referenceto FIGS. 4-6. Without being limited by theory, it is believed that thehuman eye typically can interpret a finite number of depth planes toprovide depth perception. Consequently, a highly believable simulationof perceived depth may be achieved by providing, to the eye, differentpresentations of an image corresponding to each of these limited numberof depth planes.

Waveguide Stack Assembly

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a waveguide stack for outputting imageinformation to a user. A wearable system 400 includes a stack ofwaveguides, or stacked waveguide assembly 480 that may be utilized toprovide three-dimensional perception to the eye/brain using a pluralityof waveguides 432 b, 434 b, 436 b, 438 b, 4400 b. In some embodiments,the wearable system 400 may correspond to wearable system 200 of FIG. 2,with FIG. 4 schematically showing some parts of that wearable system 200in greater detail. For example, in some embodiments, the waveguideassembly 480 may be integrated into the display 220 of FIG. 2.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, the waveguide assembly 480 may alsoinclude a plurality of features 458, 456, 454, 452 between thewaveguides. In some embodiments, the features 458, 456, 454, 452 may belenses. In other embodiments, the features 458, 456, 454, 452 may not belenses. Rather, they may simply be spacers (e.g., cladding layers orstructures for forming air gaps).

The waveguides 432 b, 434 b, 436 b, 438 b, 440 b or the plurality oflenses 458, 456, 454, 452 may be configured to send image information tothe eye with various levels of wavefront curvature or light raydivergence. Each waveguide level may be associated with a particulardepth plane and may be configured to output image informationcorresponding to that depth plane. Image injection devices 420, 422,424, 426, 428 may be utilized to inject image information into thewaveguides 440 b, 438 b, 436 b, 434 b, 432 b, each of which may beconfigured to distribute incoming light across each respectivewaveguide, for output toward the eye 410. Light exits an output surfaceof the image injection devices 420, 422, 424, 426, 428 and is injectedinto a corresponding input edge of the waveguides 44, 438 b, 436 b, 434b, 432 b. In some embodiments, a single beam of light (e.g., acollimated beam) may be injected into each waveguide to output an entirefield of cloned collimated beams that are directed toward the eye 410 atparticular angles (and amounts of divergence) corresponding to the depthplane associated with a particular waveguide.

In some embodiments, the image injection devices 420, 422, 424, 426, 428are discrete displays that each produce image information for injectioninto a corresponding waveguide 44, 438 b, 436 b, 434 b, 432 b,respectively. In some other embodiments, the image injection devices420, 422, 424, 426, 428 are the output ends of a single multiplexeddisplay which may, e.g., pipe image information via one or more opticalconduits (such as fiber optic cables) to each of the image injectiondevices 420, 422, 424, 426, 428.

A controller 460 controls the operation of the stacked waveguideassembly 480 and the image injection devices 420, 422, 424, 426, 428.The controller 460 includes programming (e.g., instructions in anon-transitory computer-readable medium) that regulates the timing andprovision of image information to the waveguides 440 b, 438 b, 436 b,434 b, 432 b. In some embodiments, the controller 460 may be a singleintegral device, or a distributed system connected by wired or wirelesscommunication channels. The controller 460 may be part of the processingmodules 260 or 270 (illustrated in FIG. 2) in some embodiments.

The waveguides 44, 438 b, 436 b, 434 b, 432 b may be configured topropagate light within each respective waveguide by total internalreflection (TIR). The waveguides 44, 438 b, 436 b, 434 b, 432 b may eachbe planar or have another shape (e.g., curved), with major top andbottom surfaces and edges extending between those major top and bottomsurfaces. In the illustrated configuration, the waveguides 440 b, 438 b,436 b, 434 b, 432 b may each include light extracting optical elements440 a, 438 a, 436 a, 434 a, 432 a that are configured to extract lightout of a waveguide by redirecting the light, propagating within eachrespective waveguide, out of the waveguide to output image informationto the eye 410. Extracted light may also be referred to as outcoupledlight, and light extracting optical elements may also be referred to asoutcoupling optical elements. An extracted beam of light is outputted bythe waveguide at locations at which the light propagating in thewaveguide strikes a light redirecting element. The light extractingoptical elements (440 a, 438 a, 436 a, 434 a, 432 a) may, for example,be reflective or diffractive optical features. While illustrateddisposed at the bottom major surfaces of the waveguides 44, 438 b, 436b, 434 b, 432 b for ease of description and drawing clarity, in someembodiments, the light extracting optical elements 440 a, 438 a, 436 a,434 a, 432 a may be disposed at the top or bottom major surfaces, or maybe disposed directly in the volume of the waveguides 44, 438 b, 436 b,434 b, 432 b. In some embodiments, the light extracting optical elements440 a, 438 a, 436 a, 434 a, 432 a may be formed in a layer of materialthat is attached to a transparent substrate to form the waveguides 44,438 b, 436 b, 434 b, 432 b. In some other embodiments, the waveguides44, 438 b, 436 b, 434 b, 432 b may be a monolithic piece of material andthe light extracting optical elements 440 a, 438 a, 436 a, 434 a, 432 amay be formed on a surface or in the interior of that piece of material.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, as discussed herein, each waveguide44, 438 b, 436 b, 434 b, 432 b is configured to output light to form animage corresponding to a particular depth plane. For example, thewaveguide 432 b nearest the eye may be configured to deliver collimatedlight, as injected into such waveguide 432 b, to the eye 410. Thecollimated light may be representative of the optical infinity focalplane. The next waveguide up 434 b may be configured to send outcollimated light which passes through the first lens 452 (e.g., anegative lens) before it can reach the eye 410. First lens 452 may beconfigured to create a slight convex wavefront curvature so that theeye/brain interprets light coming from that next waveguide up 434 b ascoming from a first focal plane closer inward toward the eye 410 fromoptical infinity. Similarly, the third up waveguide 436 b passes itsoutput light through both the first lens 452 and second lens 454 beforereaching the eye 410. The combined optical power of the first and secondlenses 452 and 454 may be configured to create another incrementalamount of wavefront curvature so that the eye/brain interprets lightcoming from the third waveguide 436 b as coming from a second focalplane that is even closer inward toward the person from optical infinitythan was light from the next waveguide up 434 b.

The other waveguide layers (e.g., waveguides 438 b, 440 b) and lenses(e.g., lenses 456, 458) are similarly configured, with the highestwaveguide 440 b in the stack sending its output through all of thelenses between it and the eye for an aggregate focal powerrepresentative of the closest focal plane to the person. To compensatefor the stack of lenses 458, 456, 454, 452 when viewing/interpretinglight coming from the world 470 on the other side of the stackedwaveguide assembly 480, a compensating lens layer 430 may be disposed atthe top of the stack to compensate for the aggregate power of the lensstack 458, 456, 454, 452 below. Such a configuration provides as manyperceived focal planes as there are available waveguide/lens pairings.Both the light extracting optical elements of the waveguides and thefocusing aspects of the lenses may be static (e.g., not dynamic orelectro-active). In some alternative embodiments, either or both may bedynamic using electro-active features.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, the light extracting opticalelements 440 a, 438 a, 436 a, 434 a, 432 a may be configured to bothredirect light out of their respective waveguides and to output thislight with the appropriate amount of divergence or collimation for aparticular depth plane associated with the waveguide. As a result,waveguides having different associated depth planes may have differentconfigurations of light extracting optical elements, which output lightwith a different amount of divergence depending on the associated depthplane. In some embodiments, as discussed herein, the light extractingoptical elements 440 a, 438 a, 436 a, 434 a, 432 a may be volumetric orsurface features, which may be configured to output light at specificangles. For example, the light extracting optical elements 440 a, 438 a,436 a, 434 a, 432 a may be volume holograms, surface holograms, ordiffraction gratings. Light extracting optical elements, such asdiffraction gratings, are described in U.S. Patent Publication No.2015/0178939, published Jun. 25, 2015, which is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

In some embodiments, the light extracting optical elements 440 a, 438 a,436 a, 434 a, 432 a are diffractive features that form a diffractionpattern, or “diffractive optical element” (also referred to herein as a“DOE”). Preferably, the DOE has a relatively low diffraction efficiencyso that only a portion of the light of the beam is deflected away towardthe eye 410 with each intersection of the DOE, while the rest continuesto move through a waveguide via total internal reflection. The lightcarrying the image information can thus be divided into a number ofrelated exit beams that exit the waveguide at a multiplicity oflocations and the result is a fairly uniform pattern of exit emissiontoward the eye 304 for this particular collimated beam bouncing aroundwithin a waveguide.

In some embodiments, one or more DOEs may be switchable between “on”state in which they actively diffract, and “off” state in which they donot significantly diffract. For instance, a switchable DOE may comprisea layer of polymer dispersed liquid crystal, in which microdropletscomprise a diffraction pattern in a host medium, and the refractiveindex of the microdroplets can be switched to substantially match therefractive index of the host material (in which case the pattern doesnot appreciably diffract incident light) or the microdroplet can beswitched to an index that does not match that of the host medium (inwhich case the pattern actively diffracts incident light).

In some embodiments, the number and distribution of depth planes ordepth of field may be varied dynamically based on the pupil sizes ororientations of the eyes of the viewer. Depth of field may changeinversely with a viewer's pupil size. As a result, as the sizes of thepupils of the viewer's eyes decrease, the depth of field increases suchthat one plane that is not discernible because the location of thatplane is beyond the depth of focus of the eye may become discernible andappear more in focus with reduction of pupil size and commensurate withthe increase in depth of field. Likewise, the number of spaced apartdepth planes used to present different images to the viewer may bedecreased with the decreased pupil size. For example, a viewer may notbe able to clearly perceive the details of both a first depth plane anda second depth plane at one pupil size without adjusting theaccommodation of the eye away from one depth plane and to the otherdepth plane. These two depth planes may, however, be sufficiently infocus at the same time to the user at another pupil size withoutchanging accommodation.

In some embodiments, the display system may vary the number ofwaveguides receiving image information based upon determinations ofpupil size or orientation, or upon receiving electrical signalsindicative of particular pupil size or orientation. For example, if theuser's eyes are unable to distinguish between two depth planesassociated with two waveguides, then the controller 460 may beconfigured or programmed to cease providing image information to one ofthese waveguides. Advantageously, this may reduce the processing burdenon the system, thereby increasing the responsiveness of the system. Inembodiments in which the DOEs for a waveguide are switchable between theon and off states, the DOEs may be switched to the off state when thewaveguide does receive image information.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to have an exit beam meet thecondition of having a diameter that is less than the diameter of the eyeof a viewer. However, meeting this condition may be challenging in viewof the variability in size of the viewer's pupils. In some embodiments,this condition is met over a wide range of pupil sizes by varying thesize of the exit beam in response to determinations of the size of theviewer's pupil. For example, as the pupil size decreases, the size ofthe exit beam may also decrease. In some embodiments, the exit beam sizemay be varied using a variable aperture.

The wearable system 400 can include an outward-facing imaging system 464(e.g., a digital camera) that images a portion of the world 470. Thisportion of the world 470 may be referred to as the field of view (FOV)of a world camera and the imaging system 464 is sometimes referred to asan FOV camera. The entire region available for viewing or imaging by aviewer may be referred to as the field of regard (FOR). The FOR mayinclude 4π steradians of solid angle surrounding the wearable system 400because the wearer can move his or her body, head, or eyes to perceivesubstantially any direction in space. In other contexts, the wearer'smovements may be more constricted, and accordingly the wearer's FOR maysubtend a smaller solid angle. Images obtained from the outward-facingimaging system 464 can be used to track gestures made by the user (e.g.,hand or finger gestures), detect objects in the world 470 in front ofthe user, and so forth.

The wearable system 400 can also include an inward-facing imaging system466 (e.g., a digital camera), which observes the movements of the user,such as the eye movements and the facial movements. The inward-facingimaging system 466 may be used to capture images of the eye 410 todetermine the size or orientation of the pupil of the eye 304. Theinward-facing imaging system 466 can be used to obtain images for use indetermining the direction the user is looking (e.g., eye pose) or forbiometric identification of the user (e.g., via iris identification). Insome embodiments, at least one camera may be utilized for each eye, toseparately determine the pupil size or eye pose of each eyeindependently, thereby allowing the presentation of image information toeach eye to be dynamically tailored to that eye. In some otherembodiments, the pupil diameter or orientation of only a single eye 410(e.g., using only a single camera per pair of eyes) is determined andassumed to be similar for both eyes of the user. The images obtained bythe inward-facing imaging system 466 may be analyzed to determine theuser's eye pose or mood, which can be used by the wearable system 400 todecide which audio or visual content should be presented to the user.The wearable system 400 may also determine head pose (e.g., headposition or head orientation) using sensors such as IMUs,accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.

The wearable system 400 can include a user input device 466 by which theuser can input commands to the controller 460 to interact with thewearable system 400. For example, the user input device 466 can includea trackpad, a touchscreen, a joystick, a multiple degree-of-freedom(DOF) controller, a capacitive sensing device, a game controller, akeyboard, a mouse, a directional pad (D-pad), a wand, a haptic device, atotem (e.g., functioning as a virtual user input device), and so forth.A multi-DOF controller can sense user input in some or all possibletranslations (e.g., left/right, forward/backward, or up/down) orrotations (e.g., yaw, pitch, or roll) of the controller. A multi-DOFcontroller which supports the translation movements may be referred toas a 3DOF while a multi-DOF controller which supports the translationsand rotations may be referred to as 6DOF. In some cases, the user mayuse a finger (e.g., a thumb) to press or swipe on a touch-sensitiveinput device to provide input to the wearable system 400 (e.g., toprovide user input to a user interface provided by the wearable system400). The user input device 466 may be held by the user's hand duringthe use of the wearable system 400. The user input device 466 can be inwired or wireless communication with the wearable system 400.

FIG. 5 shows an example of exit beams outputted by a waveguide. Onewaveguide is illustrated, but it will be appreciated that otherwaveguides in the waveguide assembly 480 may function similarly, wherethe waveguide assembly 480 includes multiple waveguides. Light 520 isinjected into the waveguide 432 b at the input edge 432 c of thewaveguide 432 b and propagates within the waveguide 432 b by TIR. Atpoints where the light 520 impinges on the DOE 432 a, a portion of thelight exits the waveguide as exit beams 510. The exit beams 510 areillustrated as substantially parallel but they may also be redirected topropagate to the eye 410 at an angle (e.g., forming divergent exitbeams), depending on the depth plane associated with the waveguide 432b. It will be appreciated that substantially parallel exit beams may beindicative of a waveguide with light extracting optical elements thatoutcouple light to form images that appear to be set on a depth plane ata large distance (e.g., optical infinity) from the eye 410. Otherwaveguides or other sets of light extracting optical elements may outputan exit beam pattern that is more divergent, which would require the eye410 to accommodate to a closer distance to bring it into focus on theretina and would be interpreted by the brain as light from a distancecloser to the eye 410 than optical infinity.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an optical system including awaveguide apparatus, an optical coupler subsystem to optically couplelight to or from the waveguide apparatus, and a control subsystem, usedin the generation of a multi-focal volumetric display, image, or lightfield. The optical system can include a waveguide apparatus, an opticalcoupler subsystem to optically couple light to or from the waveguideapparatus, and a control subsystem. The optical system can be used togenerate a multi-focal volumetric, image, or light field. The opticalsystem can include one or more primary planar waveguides 632 a (only oneis shown in FIG. 6) and one or more DOEs 632 b associated with each ofat least some of the primary waveguides 632 a. The planar waveguides 632b can be similar to the waveguides 432 b, 434 b, 436 b, 438 b, 440 bdiscussed with reference to FIG. 4. The optical system may employ adistribution waveguide apparatus to relay light along a first axis(vertical or Y-axis in view of FIG. 6), and expand the light's effectiveexit pupil along the first axis (e.g., Y-axis). The distributionwaveguide apparatus may, for example, include a distribution planarwaveguide 622 b and at least one DOE 622 a (illustrated by doubledash-dot line) associated with the distribution planar waveguide 622 b.The distribution planar waveguide 622 b may be similar or identical inat least some respects to the primary planar waveguide 632 b, having adifferent orientation therefrom. Likewise, at least one DOE 622 a may besimilar or identical in at least some respects to the DOE 632 a. Forexample, the distribution planar waveguide 622 b or DOE 622 a may becomprised of the same materials as the primary planar waveguide 632 b orDOE 632 a, respectively. Embodiments of the optical display system 600shown in FIG. 6 can be integrated into the wearable system 200 shown inFIG. 2.

The relayed and exit-pupil expanded light may be optically coupled fromthe distribution waveguide apparatus into the one or more primary planarwaveguides 632 b. The primary planar waveguide 632 b can relay lightalong a second axis, preferably orthogonal to first axis (e.g.,horizontal or X-axis in view of FIG. 6). Notably, the second axis can bea non-orthogonal axis to the first axis. The primary planar waveguide632 b expands the light's effective exit pupil along that second axis(e.g., X-axis). For example, the distribution planar waveguide 622 b canrelay and expand light along the vertical or Y-axis, and pass that lightto the primary planar waveguide 632 b which can relay and expand lightalong the horizontal or X-axis.

The optical system may include one or more sources of colored light(e.g., red, green, and blue laser light) 610 which may be opticallycoupled into a proximal end of a single mode optical fiber 640. A distalend of the optical fiber 640 may be threaded or received through ahollow tube 642 of piezoelectric material. The distal end protrudes fromthe tube 642 as fixed-free flexible cantilever 644. The piezoelectrictube 642 can be associated with four quadrant electrodes (notillustrated). The electrodes may, for example, be plated on the outside,outer surface or outer periphery or diameter of the tube 642. A coreelectrode (not illustrated) may also be located in a core, center, innerperiphery or inner diameter of the tube 642.

Drive electronics 650, for example electrically coupled via wires 660,drive opposing pairs of electrodes to bend the piezoelectric tube 642 intwo axes independently. The protruding distal tip of the optical fiber644 has mechanical modes of resonance. The frequencies of resonance candepend upon a diameter, length, and material properties of the opticalfiber 644. By vibrating the piezoelectric tube 642 near a first mode ofmechanical resonance of the fiber cantilever 644, the fiber cantilever644 can be caused to vibrate, and can sweep through large deflections.

By stimulating resonant vibration in two axes, the tip of the fibercantilever 644 is scanned biaxially in an area filling two-dimensional(2D) scan. By modulating an intensity of light source(s) 610 insynchrony with the scan of the fiber cantilever 644, light emerging fromthe fiber cantilever 644 can form an image. Descriptions of such a setup are provided in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0003762, which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

A component of an optical coupler subsystem can collimate the lightemerging from the scanning fiber cantilever 644. The collimated lightcan be reflected by mirrored surface 648 into the narrow distributionplanar waveguide 622 b which contains the at least one diffractiveoptical element (DOE) 622 a. The collimated light can propagatevertically (relative to the view of FIG. 6) along the distributionplanar waveguide 622 b by TIR, and in doing so repeatedly intersectswith the DOE 622 a. The DOE 622 a preferably has a low diffractionefficiency. This can cause a fraction (e.g., 10%) of the light to bediffracted toward an edge of the larger primary planar waveguide 632 bat each point of intersection with the DOE 622 a, and a fraction of thelight to continue on its original trajectory down the length of thedistribution planar waveguide 622 b via TIR.

At each point of intersection with the DOE 622 a, additional light canbe diffracted toward the entrance of the primary waveguide 632 b. Bydividing the incoming light into multiple outcoupled sets, the exitpupil of the light can be expanded vertically by the DOE 4 in thedistribution planar waveguide 622 b. This vertically expanded lightcoupled out of distribution planar waveguide 622 b can enter the edge ofthe primary planar waveguide 632 b.

Light entering primary waveguide 632 b can propagate horizontally(relative to the view of FIG. 6) along the primary waveguide 632 b viaTIR. As the light intersects with DOE 632 a at multiple points as itpropagates horizontally along at least a portion of the length of theprimary waveguide 632 b via TIR. The DOE 632 a may advantageously bedesigned or configured to have a phase profile that is a summation of alinear diffraction pattern and a radially symmetric diffractive pattern,to produce both deflection and focusing of the light. The DOE 632 a mayadvantageously have a low diffraction efficiency (e.g., 10%), so thatonly a portion of the light of the beam is deflected toward the eye ofthe view with each intersection of the DOE 632 a while the rest of thelight continues to propagate through the primary waveguide 632 b viaTIR.

At each point of intersection between the propagating light and the DOE632 a, a fraction of the light is diffracted toward the adjacent face ofthe primary waveguide 632 b allowing the light to escape the TIR, andemerge from the face of the primary waveguide 632 b. In someembodiments, the radially symmetric diffraction pattern of the DOE 632 aadditionally imparts a focus level to the diffracted light, both shapingthe light wavefront (e.g., imparting a curvature) of the individual beamas well as steering the beam at an angle that matches the designed focuslevel.

Accordingly, these different pathways can cause the light to be coupledout of the primary planar waveguide 632 b by a multiplicity of DOEs 632a at different angles, focus levels, or yielding different fill patternsat the exit pupil. Different fill patterns at the exit pupil can bebeneficially used to create a light field display with multiple depthplanes. Each layer in the waveguide assembly or a set of layers (e.g., 3layers) in the stack may be employed to generate a respective color(e.g., red, blue, green). Thus, for example, a first set of threeadjacent layers may be employed to respectively produce red, blue andgreen light at a first focal depth. A second set of three adjacentlayers may be employed to respectively produce red, blue and green lightat a second focal depth. Multiple sets may be employed to generate afull 3D or 4D color image light field with various focal depths.

Although certain embodiments of the wearable system may render virtualobjects on different depth planes (e.g., as described with reference toFIG. 3), this is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Otheroptical techniques can be used to render virtual objects so that theyappear to be at different depths from the user. For example, a variablefocus element (VFE) can be used, e.g., as described in U.S. PatentPublication No. 2015/0346495, which is hereby incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety. In other embodiments of the wearable system,different virtual objects may be rendered on the same depth plane butnonetheless appear to the user as if at different depths. For example,the apparent depth of virtual content that is rendered on a depth planecan be changed by changing the rendering locations of pixels associatedwith the virtual content so that the virtual content has a differentvergence location (and different perceived depth). Thus, two virtualobjects can be rendered on the same depth plane, but (relative to thefirst virtual object) the second virtual object can be perceived to becloser to the user, at the same depth from the user, or farther from theuser by modifying the pixel rendering positions to create a differentvergence location for the second virtual object (relative to the firstvirtual object). Accordingly, perceived depths of different virtualcontent can be achieved by rendering the different virtual content onthe same depth plane but adjusting vergence.

Other Components of the Wearable System

In many implementations, the wearable system may include othercomponents in addition or in alternative to the components of thewearable system described above. The wearable system may, for example,include one or more haptic devices or components. The haptic devices orcomponents may be operable to provide a tactile sensation to a user. Forexample, the haptic devices or components may provide a tactilesensation of pressure or texture when touching virtual content (e.g.,virtual objects, virtual tools, other virtual constructs). The tactilesensation may replicate a feel of a physical object which a virtualobject represents, or may replicate a feel of an imagined object orcharacter (e.g., a dragon) which the virtual content represents. In someimplementations, haptic devices or components may be worn by the user(e.g., a user wearable glove). In some implementations, haptic devicesor components may be held by the user.

The wearable system may, for example, include one or more physicalobjects which are manipulable by the user to allow input or interactionwith the wearable system. These physical objects may be referred toherein as totems. Some totems may take the form of inanimate objects,such as for example, a piece of metal or plastic, a wall, a surface oftable. In certain implementations, the totems may not actually have anyphysical input structures (e.g., keys, triggers, joystick, trackball,rocker switch). Instead, the totem may simply provide a physicalsurface, and the wearable system may render a user interface so as toappear to a user to be on one or more surfaces of the totem. Forexample, the wearable system may render an image of a computer keyboardand trackpad to appear to reside on one or more surfaces of a totem. Forexample, the wearable system may render a virtual computer keyboard andvirtual trackpad to appear on a surface of a thin rectangular plate ofaluminum which serves as a totem. The rectangular plate does not itselfhave any physical keys or trackpad or sensors. However, the wearablesystem may detect user manipulation or interaction or touches with therectangular plate as selections or inputs made via the virtual keyboardor virtual trackpad. The user input device 466 (shown in FIG. 4) may bean embodiment of a totem, which may include a trackpad, a touchpad, atrigger, a joystick, a trackball, a rocker or virtual switch, a mouse, akeyboard, a multi-degree-of-freedom controller, or another physicalinput device. A user may use the totem, alone or in combination withposes, to interact with the wearable system or other users.

Examples of haptic devices and totems usable with the wearable devices,HMD, and display systems of the present disclosure are described in U.S.Patent Publication No. 2015/0016777, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

Example Wearable Systems, Environments, and Interfaces

A wearable system may employ various mapping related techniques in orderto achieve high depth of field in the rendered light fields. In mappingout the virtual world, it is advantageous to know all the features andpoints in the real world to accurately portray virtual objects inrelation to the real world. To this end, FOV images captured from usersof the wearable system can be added to a world model by including newpictures that convey information about various points and features ofthe real world. For example, the wearable system can collect a set ofmap points (such as 2D points or 3D points) and find new map points torender a more accurate version of the world model. The world model of afirst user can be communicated (e.g., over a network such as a cloudnetwork) to a second user so that the second user can experience theworld surrounding the first user.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example of an MR environment 700. The MRenvironment 700 may be configured to receive input (e.g., visual input702 from the user's wearable system, stationary input 704 such as roomcameras, sensory input 706 from various sensors, gestures, totems, eyetracking, user input from the user input device 466 etc.) from one ormore user wearable systems (e.g., wearable system 200 or display system220) or stationary room systems (e.g., room cameras, etc.). The wearablesystems can use various sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes,temperature sensors, movement sensors, depth sensors, GPS sensors,inward-facing imaging system, outward-facing imaging system, etc.) todetermine the location and various other attributes of the environmentof the user. This information may further be supplemented withinformation from stationary cameras in the room that may provide imagesor various cues from a different point of view. The image data acquiredby the cameras (such as the room cameras or the cameras of theoutward-facing imaging system) may be reduced to a set of mappingpoints.

One or more object recognizers 708 can crawl through the received data(e.g., the collection of points) and recognize or map points, tagimages, attach semantic information to objects with the help of a mapdatabase 710. The map database 710 may comprise various points collectedover time and their corresponding objects. The various devices and themap database can be connected to each other through a network (e.g.,LAN, WAN, etc.) to access the cloud.

Based on this information and collection of points in the map database,the object recognizers 708 a to 708 n may recognize objects in anenvironment. For example, the object recognizers can recognize faces,persons, windows, walls, user input devices, televisions, other objectsin the user's environment, etc. One or more object recognizers may bespecialized for object with certain characteristics. For example, theobject recognizer 708 a may be used to recognizer faces, while anotherobject recognizer may be used recognize totems.

The object recognitions may be performed using a variety of computervision techniques. For example, the wearable system can analyze theimages acquired by the outward-facing imaging system 464 (shown in FIG.4) to perform scene reconstruction, event detection, video tracking,object recognition, object pose estimation, learning, indexing, motionestimation, or image restoration, etc. One or more computer visionalgorithms may be used to perform these tasks. Non-limiting examples ofcomputer vision algorithms include: Scale-invariant feature transform(SIFT), speeded up robust features (SURF), oriented FAST and rotatedBRIEF (ORB), binary robust invariant scalable keypoints (BRISK), fastretina keypoint (FREAK), Viola-Jones algorithm, Eigenfaces approach,Lucas-Kanade algorithm, Horn-Schunk algorithm, Mean-shift algorithm,visual simultaneous location and mapping (vSLAM) techniques, asequential Bayesian estimator (e.g., Kalman filter, extended Kalmanfilter, etc.), bundle adjustment, Adaptive thresholding (and otherthresholding techniques), Iterative Closest Point (ICP), Semi GlobalMatching (SGM), Semi Global Block Matching (SGBM), Feature PointHistograms, various machine learning algorithms (such as e.g., supportvector machine, k-nearest neighbors algorithm, Naive Bayes, neuralnetwork (including convolutional or deep neural networks), or othersupervised/unsupervised models, etc.), and so forth.

The object recognitions can additionally or alternatively be performedby a variety of machine learning algorithms. Once trained, the machinelearning algorithm can be stored by the HMD. Some examples of machinelearning algorithms can include supervised or non-supervised machinelearning algorithms, including regression algorithms (such as, forexample, Ordinary Least Squares Regression), instance-based algorithms(such as, for example, Learning Vector Quantization), decision treealgorithms (such as, for example, classification and regression trees),Bayesian algorithms (such as, for example, Naive Bayes), clusteringalgorithms (such as, for example, k-means clustering), association rulelearning algorithms (such as, for example, a-priori algorithms),artificial neural network algorithms (such as, for example, Perceptron),deep learning algorithms (such as, for example, Deep Boltzmann Machine,or deep neural network), dimensionality reduction algorithms (such as,for example, Principal Component Analysis), ensemble algorithms (suchas, for example, Stacked Generalization), or other machine learningalgorithms. In some embodiments, individual models can be customized forindividual data sets. For example, the wearable device can generate orstore a base model. The base model may be used as a starting point togenerate additional models specific to a data type (e.g., a particularuser in the telepresence session), a data set (e.g., a set of additionalimages obtained of the user in the telepresence session), conditionalsituations, or other variations. In some embodiments, the wearable HMDcan be configured to utilize a plurality of techniques to generatemodels for analysis of the aggregated data. Other techniques may includeusing pre-defined thresholds or data values.

Based on this information and collection of points in the map database,the object recognizers 708 a to 708 n may recognize objects andsupplement objects with semantic information to give life to theobjects. For example, if the object recognizer recognizes a set ofpoints to be a door, the system may attach some semantic information(e.g., the door has a hinge and has a 90 degree movement about thehinge). If the object recognizer recognizes a set of points to be amirror, the system may attach semantic information that the mirror has areflective surface that can reflect images of objects in the room. Overtime the map database grows as the system (which may reside locally ormay be accessible through a wireless network) accumulates more data fromthe world. Once the objects are recognized, the information may betransmitted to one or more wearable systems. For example, the MRenvironment 700 may include information about a scene happening inCalifornia. The environment 700 may be transmitted to one or more usersin New York. Based on data received from an FOV camera and other inputs,the object recognizers and other software components can map the pointscollected from the various images, recognize objects etc., such that thescene may be accurately “passed over” to a second user, who may be in adifferent part of the world. The environment 700 may also use atopological map for localization purposes.

The object recognizers may identify objects in the 3D environment, andfrom the system's knowledge of the current position of a cursor used toselect or interact with the objects, this information may be used toimplement the eclipse cursor techniques described herein. For example,if the cursor location is near a target object identified by the objectrecognizers, a focus indicator may be provided or emphasized around thetarget object. The object recognizers may determine a location of theobject (e.g., a center) or edges or boundaries of the object, and thelocation of the cursor (e.g., a ray from the user toward the cursorposition) relative to the object's center or edges or boundaries may beused to determine whether or how to render the focus indicator, whetherto accelerate the cursor toward the object (e.g., the attractive effectdescribed herein), and so forth.

FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram of an example of a method 800 ofrendering virtual content in relation to recognized objects. The method800 describes how a virtual scene may be represented to a user of thewearable system. The user may be geographically remote from the scene.For example, the user may be New York, but may want to view a scene thatis presently going on in California, or may want to go on a walk with afriend who resides in California.

At block 810, the wearable system may receive input from the user andother users regarding the environment of the user. This may be achievedthrough various input devices, and knowledge already possessed in themap database. The user's FOV camera, sensors, GPS, eye tracking, etc.,convey information to the system at block 810. The system may determinesparse points based on this information at block 820. The sparse pointsmay be used in determining pose data (e.g., head pose, eye pose, bodypose, or hand gestures) that can be used in displaying and understandingthe orientation and position of various objects in the user'ssurroundings. The object recognizers 708 a-708 n may crawl through thesecollected points and recognize one or more objects using a map databaseat block 830. This information may then be conveyed to the user'sindividual wearable system at block 840, and the desired virtual scenemay be accordingly displayed to the user at block 850. For example, thedesired virtual scene (e.g., user in CA) may be displayed at theappropriate orientation, position, etc., in relation to the variousobjects and other surroundings of the user in New York.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of another example of a wearable system. Inthis example, the wearable system 900 comprises a map, which may includemap data for the world. The map may partly reside locally on thewearable system, and may partly reside at networked storage locationsaccessible by wired or wireless network (e.g., in a cloud system). Apose process 910 may be executed on the wearable computing architecture(e.g., processing module 260 or controller 460) and utilize data fromthe map to determine position and orientation of the wearable computinghardware or user. Pose data may be computed from data collectedreal-time as the user is experiencing the system and operating in theworld. The data may comprise images, data from sensors (such as inertialmeasurement units (IMUs), which may comprise an accelerometer, agyroscope, a magnetometer, or combinations of such components) andsurface information pertinent to objects in the real or virtualenvironment.

A sparse point representation may be the output of a simultaneouslocalization and mapping (SLAM or V-SLAM, referring to a configurationwherein the input is images/visual only) process. The system can beconfigured to not only find out where in the world the variouscomponents are, but what the world is made of. Pose may be a buildingblock that achieves many goals, including populating the map and usingthe data from the map.

In one embodiment, a sparse point position may not be completelyadequate on its own, and further information may be needed to produce amultifocal AR, VR, or MR experience. Dense representations, generallyreferring to depth map information, may be utilized to fill this gap atleast in part. Such information may be computed from a process referredto as Stereo 940, wherein depth information is determined using atechnique such as triangulation or time-of-flight sensing. Imageinformation and active patterns (such as infrared patterns created usingactive projectors) may serve as input to the Stereo process 940. Asignificant amount of depth map information may be fused together, andsome of this may be summarized with a surface representation. Forexample, mathematically definable surfaces may be efficient (e.g.,relative to a large point cloud) and digestible inputs to otherprocessing devices like game engines. Thus, the output of the stereoprocess (e.g., a depth map) 940 may be combined in the fusion process930. Pose may be an input to this fusion process 930 as well, and theoutput of fusion 930 becomes an input to populating the map process 920.Sub-surfaces may connect with each other, such as in topographicalmapping, to form larger surfaces, and the map becomes a large hybrid ofpoints and surfaces.

To resolve various aspects in a mixed reality process 960, variousinputs may be utilized. For example, in the embodiment depicted in FIG.9, Game parameters may be inputs to determine that the user of thesystem is playing a monster battling game with one or more monsters atvarious locations, monsters dying or running away under variousconditions (such as if the user shoots the monster), walls or otherobjects at various locations, and the like. The world map may includeinformation regarding where such objects are relative to each other, tobe another valuable input to mixed reality. Pose relative to the worldbecomes an input as well and plays a key role to almost any interactivesystem. Parameters and inputs such as these can be used to provide theeclipse cursor functionality in the mixed reality process 960.

Controls or inputs from the user are another input to the wearablesystem 900. As described herein, user inputs can include visual input,gestures, totems, audio input, sensory input, etc. In order to movearound or play a game, for example, the user may need to instruct thewearable system 900 regarding what he or she wants to do. Beyond justmoving oneself in space, there are various forms of user controls thatmay be utilized. In one embodiment, a totem (e.g. a user input device),or an object such as a toy gun may be held by the user and tracked bythe system. The system preferably will be configured to know that theuser is holding the item and understand what kind of interaction theuser is having with the item (e.g., if the totem or object is a gun, thesystem may be configured to understand location and orientation, as wellas whether the user is clicking a trigger or other sensed button orelement which may be equipped with a sensor, such as an IMU, which mayassist in determining what is going on, even when such activity is notwithin the field of view of any of the cameras.)

Hand gesture tracking or recognition may also provide input information.The wearable system 900 may be configured to track and interpret handgestures for button presses, for gesturing left or right, stop, grab,hold, etc. For example, in one configuration, the user may want to flipthrough emails or a calendar in a non-gaming environment, or do a “fistbump” with another person or player. The wearable system 900 may beconfigured to leverage a minimum amount of hand gesture, which may ormay not be dynamic. For example, the gestures may be simple staticgestures like open hand for stop, thumbs up for ok, thumbs down for notok; or a hand flip right, or left, or up/down for directional commands.

Eye tracking is another input (e.g., tracking where the user is lookingto control the display technology to render at a specific depth orrange). In one embodiment, vergence of the eyes may be determined usingtriangulation, and then using a vergence/accommodation model developedfor that particular person, accommodation may be determined.

With regard to the camera systems, the example wearable system 900 shownin FIG. 9 can include three pairs of cameras: a relative wide FOV orpassive SLAM pair of cameras arranged to the sides of the user's face, adifferent pair of cameras oriented in front of the user to handle thestereo imaging process 940 and also to capture hand gestures andtotem/object tracking in front of the user's face. The FOV cameras andthe pair of cameras for the stereo process 940 may be a part of theoutward-facing imaging system 464 (shown in FIG. 4). The wearable system900 can include eye tracking cameras (which may be a part of aninward-facing imaging system 462 shown in FIG. 4) oriented toward theeyes of the user in order to triangulate eye vectors and otherinformation. The wearable system 900 may also comprise one or moretextured light projectors (such as infrared (IR) projectors) to injecttexture into a scene.

FIG. 10 is a process flow diagram of an example of a method 1000 fordetermining user input to a wearable system. In this example, the usermay interact with a totem. The user may have multiple totems. Forexample, the user may have designated one totem for a social mediaapplication, another totem for playing games, etc. At block 1010, thewearable system may detect a motion of a totem. The movement of thetotem may be recognized through the outward facing system or may bedetected through sensors (e.g., haptic glove, image sensors, handtracking devices, eye-tracking cameras, head pose sensors, etc.).

Based at least partly on the detected gesture, eye pose, head pose, orinput through the totem, the wearable system detects a position,orientation, or movement of the totem (or the user's eyes or head orgestures) with respect to a reference frame, at block 1020. Thereference frame may be a set of map points based on which the wearablesystem translates the movement of the totem (or the user) to an actionor command. At block 1030, the user's interaction with the totem ismapped. Based on the mapping of the user interaction with respect to thereference frame 1020, the system determines the user input at block1040.

For example, the user may move a totem or physical object back and forthto signify turning a virtual page and moving on to a next page or movingfrom one user interface (UI) display screen to another UI screen. Asanother example, the user may move their head or eyes to look atdifferent real or virtual objects in the user's FOR. If the user's gazeat a particular real or virtual object is longer than a threshold time,the real or virtual object may be selected as the user input. In someimplementations, the vergence of the user's eyes can be tracked and anaccommodation/vergence model can be used to determine the accommodationstate of the user's eyes, which provides information on a depth plane onwhich the user is focusing. In some implementations, the wearable systemcan use ray casting techniques to determine which real or virtualobjects are along the direction of the user's head pose or eye pose. Invarious implementations, the ray casting techniques can include castingthin, pencil rays with substantially little transverse width or castingrays with substantial transverse width (e.g., cones or frustums).

The user interface may be projected by the display system as describedherein (such as the display 220 in FIG. 2). It may also be displayedusing a variety of other techniques such as one or more projectors. Theprojectors may project images onto a physical object such as a canvas ora globe. Interactions with user interface may be tracked using one ormore cameras external to the system or part of the system (such as,e.g., using the inward-facing imaging system 462 or the outward-facingimaging system 464).

FIG. 11 is a process flow diagram of an example of a method 1100 forinteracting with a virtual user interface. The method 1100 may beperformed by the wearable system described herein.

At block 1110, the wearable system may identify a particular UI. Thetype of UI may be predetermined by the user. The wearable system mayidentify that a particular UI needs to be populated based on a userinput (e.g., gesture, visual data, audio data, sensory data, directcommand, etc.). At block 1120, the wearable system may generate data forthe virtual UI. For example, data associated with the confines, generalstructure, shape of the UI etc., may be generated. In addition, thewearable system may determine map coordinates of the user's physicallocation so that the wearable system can display the UI in relation tothe user's physical location. For example, if the UI is body centric,the wearable system may determine the coordinates of the user's physicalstance, head pose, or eye pose such that a ring UI can be displayedaround the user or a planar UI can be displayed on a wall or in front ofthe user. If the UI is hand centric, the map coordinates of the user'shands may be determined. These map points may be derived through datareceived through the FOV cameras, sensory input, or any other type ofcollected data.

At block 1130, the wearable system may send the data to the display fromthe cloud or the data may be sent from a local database to the displaycomponents. At block 1140, the UI is displayed to the user based on thesent data. For example, a light field display can project the virtual UIinto one or both of the user's eyes. Once the virtual UI has beencreated, the wearable system may simply wait for a command from the userto generate more virtual content on the virtual UI at block 1150. Forexample, the UI may be a body centric ring around the user's body. Thewearable system may then wait for the command (a gesture, a head or eyemovement, input from a user input device, etc.), and if it is recognized(block 1160), virtual content associated with the command may bedisplayed to the user (block 1170). As an example, the virtual contentmay include a virtual cursor (or reticle) and a focus indicatorassociated with an object in the environment. The virtual cursor andfocus indicator may comprise aspects of the eclipse cursor technologydescribed with reference to FIGS. 12A-24.

Additional examples of wearable systems, UIs, and user experiences (UX)are described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0016777, which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Example Objects in the Field of View (FOV)

FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate various examples of an object 1204 and cursor1202 that can be perceived by the user via the wearable system. FIG. 12Ashows an example of a 2D environment and FIGS. 12B-12C show examples ofa 3D environment. In various embodiments, objects within the user'sfield of view (FOV) may be virtual or physical objects. For example, oneor more objects may include physical objects such as a chair, a tree, asofa, a wall, etc., while virtual objects may include operating systemobjects such as e.g., a recycle bin for deleted files, a terminal forinputting commands, a file manager for accessing files or directories,an icon, a menu, an application for audio or video streaming, anotification from an operating system, and so on. Virtual objects mayalso include objects in an application such as e.g., avatars, virtualobjects in games, graphics or images, etc. Some virtual objects can beboth an operating system object and an object in an application. In someembodiments, the wearable system can add virtual elements to theexisting physical objects. For example, the wearable system may add avirtual menu associated with a television in the room, where the virtualmenu may give the user the option to turn on or change the channels ofthe television using the wearable system.

A virtual object may be a three-dimensional (3D), two-dimensional (2D),or one-dimensional (1D) object. For example, the virtual object may be a3D coffee mug (which may represent a virtual control for a physicalcoffee maker). The virtual object may also be a 2D graphicalrepresentation of a clock (displaying current time to the user). In someimplementations, one or more virtual objects may be displayed within (orassociated with) another virtual object. A virtual coffee mug may beshown inside of a user interface plane, although the virtual coffee mugappears to be 3D within this 2D planar virtual space.

Utilization of a Cursor

With continued reference to FIGS. 12A-12C, the wearable system displaysa cursor 1202, which can be a movable indicator, that a user can utilizeto select or interact with objects within the environment. In someembodiments, the cursor can be displayed within a bounded region of theenvironment (e.g., a location within the FOV). In some cases, the cursorrepresents a location at which user interaction with real or virtualobjects may occur. For example, the user can utilize the cursor 1202 toselect, view, or point to an object, such as object 1204. By changingthe location of the cursor 1202, the user can alter selections or views,or change where the cursor 1202 is pointing. In various implementations,the user can change the location of the cursor by, for example,translating or rotating a handheld totem, moving a finger (e.g., thumb)across a touch sensitive portion of a totem or other user input device,translating or rotating a body part (e.g., a finger, hand, or arm), ormoving his or her head or eyes.

The appearance of a cursor 1202 can take on any of a variety ofdifferent colors, outlines, shapes, symbols, sizes, images, graphics, incombination or the like. For example, the cursor 1202 may take a varietyof shapes such as a cursor, a geometric cone, a beam of light, an arrow,an oval, a circle, a polygon, or other 1D, 2D, or 3D shapes.

In some embodiments, the cursor 1202 may be used to select, view, orpoint to an object, such as object 1204, by moving the cursor 1202 suchthat it hovers over, hovers behind, or otherwise points to a targetobject 1204. Once the cursor 1202 and the target object 1204 aresufficiently aligned, the user may select or interact with the targetobject 1204 to which the cursor 1204 is hovering or pointing, forexample, by making a hand gesture, actuating a touch-sensitive portionof a totem, etc.

In some embodiments, the user can move his or her body, head, or eyes tomove the cursor 1202. For example, a change in the user's pose (e.g.,head pose, body pose, or eye gaze) may alter the location of the cursor1202 within the FOV. Similarly, the cursor 1202 may be controlled thougha user input device such as a user input device 466 of FIG. 4. Forexample, the user input device can include a trackpad, a touchscreen, ajoystick, a multiple degree-of-freedom (DOF) controller, a capacitivesensing device, a game controller, a keyboard, a mouse, a directionalpad (D-pad), a wand, a haptic device, a totem (e.g., functioning as avirtual user input device), and so forth. For example, as the user moveshis hand on a user input device, the cursor 1202 may move from a firstposition to a second position.

Obscuring Content

Some systems render a cursor with no consideration of scene content. Inother words, as a user moves a cursor around a scene, the cursor isrendered in front of the objects in the scene. It follows that when acursor is used to target or select an object, as the cursor hovers overthe object, the cursor can occlude or obscure the object. This canimpact a user's experience within an environment. For example, the usermay desire to see the object yet the cursor is rendered in front of theobject, thereby blocking the user's view of the object. These problemscan be further exacerbated when the object includes text, images, orother content that the user wishes to view. Further, when the cursor isrendered in front of the target object, the cursor is higher on theuser's visual hierarchy than the target object, which can bedistracting, because the user is trying to interact with real or virtualobjects in the environment and not the cursor, which preferably shouldfunction as a tool rather than be the highest, or higher, object in thevisual hierarchy.

FIG. 12A illustrates an example of some of the problems associated witha cursor in 2D environment. As shown, FIG. 12A illustrates variouslocations of the cursor 1202 as it moves around the 2D environment,specifically as the cursor 1202 moves from position 1212 (e.g., wherethe cursor 1202 is above the object 1204) to position 1214 (e.g., wherethe cursor 1202 is in front of the object 1204) to position 1216 (e.g.,where the cursor 1202 is below the object 1204).

In the 2D environment of FIG. 12A, the cursor 1202 and the object 1204have no depth. In other words, the cursor 1202 is rendered at the samedepth as the object 1204, and, when the cursor 1202 and the object 1204overlap, the cursor 1202 is shown instead of the object 1204. Forexample, as the cursor 1202 moves from position 1212 to position 1214,the cursor 1202 appears to “roll over” the object 1204 such that thecursor 1202 is shown and the portion of the object 1204 behind thecursor is blocked from the user's view.

FIG. 12B illustrates an example of how occlusion by the cursor can beexacerbated in a 3D environment. As shown, FIG. 12B illustrates variouslocations of the cursor 1202 as it moves around the 3D environment,specifically as the cursor 1202 moves from position 1222 (e.g., wherethe cursor 1202 is above and centered over the object 1204) to position1224 along a path 1250 a (e.g., where the cursor 1202 is in front of theobject 1204) to position 1226 (e.g., where the cursor 1202 is centeredand below the object 1204).

In the 3D environment of FIG. 12B, the cursor 1202 and the object 1204do have depth. In other words, for the cursor 1202 to “roll over” or“roll around” the object in 3D space, the cursor 1202 must move closerto or further away from the user such that the cursor 1202 and object1204 do no overlap. For example, if the cursor 1202 and the object werekept at the same depth during the “roll over,” the cursor 1202 mightappear to pass through the object 1204, which may be undesirable becauseit breaks realism and may obscure portions of the cursor 1202 orportions of the object 1204. In FIG. 12B, if moved along the path 1250a, the cursor is moved closer to the user such that it is in front ofthe object 1204 and between the object 1204 and the user (see, e.g.,position 1224). For example, the object 1204 in FIG. 12B is a characterhaving an arm extending in front of its body. Initially, at position1222 the cursor 1202 is approximately the same distance from the user asthe character 1204. However, as the cursor 1202 moves along the path1250 a from position 1222 to position 1224, the system must bring thecursor 1202 closer to the user in order for the cursor 1202 to be infront of the extended arm of the character 1204. By bringing the cursor1202 closer to the user, the system is effectively emphasizing thecursor 1202 relative to the character 1204, because a user is morelikely to focus on objects that appear closer to him or her. To reduceemphasis on the cursor, the system could dynamically adjust the size ofthe cursor in order to maintain a consistent appearance of the cursor.However, because the cursor's perceived dimensions would change based ondistance from the user, this type of perspective change may confuse theuser or, at a minimum, provide the user with misleading information.Accordingly, although it would be desirable to emphasize the character1204 that the user is attempting to interact with, by utilizing a cursor1202 that passes in front of the character, the system undesirablyemphasizes the cursor 1202 over the character.

To reduce the likelihood of emphasizing a cursor 1202 when the cursor1202 and the object 1204 overlap, the cursor can, in effect, move alonga path 1250 b that goes behind the object 1204 (such that the object1204 “eclipses” the cursor). The cursor 1202 is thereby deemphasizedrelative to the foreground object 1204. When the cursor 1202 is behindan object 1204 (such as the character in FIG. 12B), the wearable systemmay stop rendering the cursor, because the cursor is not visible to theuser (e.g., the object is opaque and “eclipses” the cursor). In someembodiments, when behind the object 1204, the cursor 1202 continues tobe rendered by the wearable system, but at a reduced brightness level sothat it remains deemphasized relative to the object or the object 1204is rendered to be in front of the cursor 1202 (e.g., the object eclipsesthe cursor), which may in effect reduce the perceptibility of the cursorrelative to the object. As further described below, additionally oralternatively, when the cursor is behind the object, the system mayrender a focus indicator (e.g., a glow or halo) around the object 1204to provide a visual indication to the user as to the location of thecursor.

FIG. 12C illustrates an example of how an object can change in size orshape or perceived depth as the cursor moves behind the object in a 3Denvironment. As shown, FIG. 12C illustrates various locations of thecursor 1202 as it moves around the 3D environment, specifically as thecursor 1202 moves from position 1222 (e.g., where the cursor 1202 isabove and centered over the object 1204) to position 1226 (e.g., wherethe cursor 1202 is centered and below the object 1204).

In FIG. 12C, rather moving the cursor 1202 closer to the user (e.g.,path 1250 a of FIG. 12B) or moving the cursor 1202 further away from theuser (e.g., path 1250 b of FIG. 12B), the system can move the cursor1202 along path 1250 c. In response, the object 1204 can grow larger, orthe object 1204 may move closer to the user, or the object foregroundcan expand (or any combination of these), such that the icon 1204 shiftscloser or appears larger or closer to the user. In other words, ratherthan altering the depth of the cursor 1202 relative to the user orobject 1204, the system can keep the cursor at the same depth and adjusta relative depth of the object 1204, such that the object 1204 appearscloser to the user than the cursor. In some embodiments, the object 1204may shift to a new depth (e.g., one that is closer to the user); in someembodiments, the object 1204 may remain at the same depth as the cursorbut may be rendered with a closer vergence display input so as to appearcloser to the user. By bringing the object 1204 closer to the user, thesystem is advantageously emphasizing the object 1204, because a user ismore likely to focus on objects that appear closer to him or her.Furthermore, similar to path 1250 b of FIG. 12b , because the object isshifted towards a user, the cursor 1202 can, in effect, move along apath 1250 c that goes behind the object 1204 (such that the object 1204“eclipses” the cursor). The cursor 1202 may not be rendered while behindthe object 1204 or may be rendered at a reduced brightness or withincreased transparency. The cursor 1202 is thereby deemphasized relativeto the foreground object 1204. When the cursor 1202 is no longer behindthe object 1204, the wearable system may shift the object 1204 back toits original position and adjust the object to its original size,thereby deemphasizing the object 1204 and again rendering the cursor1202 (which is no longer eclipsed) so that the user can view the cursorand the object. As described above, while the cursor 1202 is eclipsed bythe object 1204, the system can render a focus indicator around oradjacent at least a portion of the object 1204, which further emphasizesthe foreground object relative to the cursor.

Additional examples of behavior of an eclipse cursor are described belowwith reference to FIGS. 18A-18C and 30A-30F.

Utilization of a Focus Indicator

In some cases, when the cursor 1202 is positioned behind the object1204, it may be difficult for the user to get an accurate sense of thecursor's location within the scene. For example, the cursor 1202 is (atleast partially) blocked by the object 1204, and it may be difficult forthe user to visually re-acquire the cursor in the future or rememberwhich object has been selected. Accordingly, to offer the user anaccurate sense of the cursor's location within the environment, in somecases, the system can emphasize the object 1204 when the cursor 1202moves behind that object 1204. For example, the system can assign afocus indicator (e.g., some form of visual highlighting) to the object1204. Thus, when the cursor 1202 moves near to or behind an object 1204,the focus indicator is activated and the object 1204 is emphasized,while the user still gets an accurate sense of the cursor's locationwithin the scene and which object has been selected.

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate non-limiting embodiments of a focusindicator 1302 and a cursor 1202. In some embodiments, the appearance ofa focus indicator 1302 to can take on any of a variety of differentcolors, outlines, shapes, symbols, sizes, images, graphics, incombination or the like. For example, the cursor 1202 may take a varietyof shapes such as a cursor, a geometric cone, a beam of light, an arrow,cross-hairs, an oval, a circle, a polygon, or other 1D, 2D, or 3Dshapes. The focus indicator 1302 can include, but is not limited to, ahalo, a color, a perceived size or depth change (e.g., causing theobject to appear closer or larger when selected), virtual rays, lines,or arcs, or other graphical highlighting emanating from, surrounding, orassociated with at least a portion of the object or its periphery inorder to draw the user's attention to the object. The focus indicator1302 can include a glow that radiates from behind an object, and anintensity of the glow can correspond to a spatial relationship betweenthe cursor's location and the location of the object. For example, theintensity of the glow can be largest near the edge of the object anddecrease with distance away from the object. The intensity of the glowcan be largest on a side of object closest to the cursor (e.g., along aline between the object and the cursor), and the intensity can be lower(or zero) on the side of the object away from the cursor. As illustratedin FIG. 13B, the cursor or focus indicator may have an iridescentappearance. The focus indicator 1302 (or the cursor 1202) can alsoinclude audible or tactile effects such as vibrations, ring tones,beeps, or the like.

In some embodiments, the cursor 1202 may be large enough or the objectmay be small enough that when the cursor 1202 is positioned behind theobject, the outer portions of the cursor give the appearance of a focusindicator surrounding the object. In some cases, as illustrated in FIGS.13A and 13B, the focus indicator 1302 can appear as a larger version ofa cursor 1202. For example, the system can render a cursor 1202 and, inresponse to the cursor passing below a threshold distance between it andthe object, the cursor 1202 can be eclipsed (e.g., not rendered) infavor of a focus indicator 1302 that appears around the object. Infurther response to the cursor passing above a threshold distancebetween it and the object, the cursor can again be rendered by thesystem and the focus indicator deemphasized.

Examples of Cursors and Focus Indicators

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrates an example of an environment including acursor 1202 and an object 1204. In this example, the object 1204 is acube sitting on a table. As the cursor 1202 transitions from position1412 in FIG. 14A to position 1414 in FIG. 14B, the cursor 1202 movesover (or in front of) the object 1204. Accordingly, when the cursor 1202is at position 1414, the cursor 1202 is blocking from the users view aportion of the object 1204, which as discussed above can be distractingto a user.

FIG. 14C illustrates an example of an environment schematicallyillustrating features of the eclipse cursor functionality. In contrastto FIG. 14B, the cursor 1414 moves behind the object 1204 and is notrendered to the user (and is indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 14C). Asthe cursor 1414 gets close to and passes behind the object 1204, a focusindicator 1302 is rendered to the user. In this example, the focusindicator 1302 is a circular glow surrounding the cube, with theintensity of the glow being highest near the edges of the cube anddecreasing in magnitude with increasing distance from the cube.

Focus Indicator Thresholds

As described herein, in some embodiments, the focus indicator 1302 canadvantageously provide the user with an accurate sense of the cursor'slocation within the environment when the cursor is eclipsed by anobject. For example, as can be seen in FIG. 14C, although the cursor1414 is not visible to the user, the focus indicator 1302 surroundingthe object 1204 identifies to the user that the object is selected (orinteracted with) and further indicates that the cursor is behind theobject 1204.

The system can assign a focus indicator 1302 to an object based at leastin part on a determination that the cursor's location within theenvironment passes a distance threshold relative to the object. In otherwords, a focus indicator 1302 can be assigned to an object based on adetermined spatial relationship between the cursor's location within theenvironment and the location, size, shape, orientation, etc. of theobject. The cursor's location can be determined via a ray cast or conecast, and the distance to the object can be determined as theperpendicular distance between the ray (or cone) and the object.

In some embodiments, the focus indicator 1302 can offer the user anaccurate sense of the cursor's location within an environment. Forexample, as a user changes the cursor's location within the environment,the system can assign, un-assign, or modify a focus indicator associatedwith one or more objects in the environment. The system can adjust anintensity, size, shape, color, or other characteristic of a focusindicator 1302 to indicate the relative distance between the cursor andthe object. For example, as the cursor's location within the environmentmoves closer to an object, the focus indicator assigned to that objectmay be shown more intensely or larger (at least in a direction towardthe cursor). As the cursor's location within the environment moves awayfrom an object, the focus indicator assigned to the object may be becomeless intense or smaller, or the system may stop rendering the focusindicator.

FIG. 14A illustrates examples of various distance thresholdconsiderations of the system when determining how (or whether) to rendera focus indicator. The system can monitor the location 1412 of thecursor 1202 and based at least partly on that location, the system candetermine whether to assign a focus indicator 1302 and what theproperties of the focus indicator are. For example, the system canassign or modify a focus indicator 1302 to an object 1204 if thelocation 1412 of the cursor 1202 passes below a distance thresholdcorresponding to the object 1204. The system can un-assign or modify afocus indicator 1302 based at least partly upon a determination that thelocation 1412 of the cursor 1202 passes above a distance thresholdcorresponding to the object 1204.

A distance threshold can vary across embodiments and can be based onvarious factors including but not limited to a size of an object, anumber or density of objects in the environment, a proximity of anobject relative to another object, or the like. For example, in acrowded environment, the distance threshold at which the focus indicatoris activated (or de-activated) may be smaller than in an uncrowdedenvironment in order to avoid visual confusion caused by overlappingfocus indicators or having focus indicators on nearly all the objectsnear the cursor. In various embodiments, the distance threshold may be afraction of an object's size or a fraction of an average distance amongobjects in the user's field of view (e.g., 10%, 20%, 50%, 100%, etc.).The distance threshold can be dynamic. For example, if an object(associated with a first distance threshold) moves into a more crowdedregion of the environment, the object's distance threshold may decreasedue to the presence of more nearby objects. Conversely, if the objectmoves into a less crowded environment, the object's distance thresholdmay increase.

With reference to FIG. 14A, in some cases, the distance threshold cancorrespond to a distance between the cursor's location within theenvironment (e.g., the location 1412) and a portion of the object 1204.For example, the distance threshold can correspond to a distance 1424between the cursor's location 1412 and the object's center 1420.Similarly, the distance threshold can correspond to a distance 1426between the cursor's location 1412 and a closest portion 1422 of theobject 1204 (e.g., an edge or boundary of the object).

As a non-limiting example, FIG. 14A illustrates the cursor 1202. Butsince the distance between the cursor 1202 and the object 1204 has notpassed below the distance threshold, a focus indicator is not renderedfor the object. For example, the system has determined that the location1412 of the cursor is not close enough to a center 1420 of the object1204 or that the location 1412 of the cursor is not close enough to aclosest portion 1422 of the object 1204. Accordingly, the system rendersthe cursor 1202 but does not render a focus indicator 1302.

In contrast, as another non-limiting example, FIG. 14C illustrates anexample of a situation where the cursor location has passed below thedistance threshold (and is behind the object in this illustration). Thecursor 1414 is no longer rendered and the focus indicator 1302 isrendered. If the user were to move the cursor so that its distancerelative to the object once again exceeds the distance threshold, theuser's view might return to the illustration in FIG. 14A where thecursor 1202 is displayed but the focus indicator is not.

Attractive Effect Between Cursors and Objects

In some cases, objects can act as if they have a sticky, gravitational,or magnetized effect on the cursor so that the cursor appears to “snap”onto the object (e.g., once the cursor is sufficiently close to theobject). For example, the system can determine the location of thecursor within the user's field of view and can similarly determine alocation of one or more objects in the user's field of regard. Based ona spatial relationship between the location of the cursor and the one ormore objects, the system can determine which object or objects to assigna focus indicator (e.g., the focus indicator may be displayed (ordisplayed more prominently) on objects closer to the cursor). The systemcan continuously assign at least one focus indicator to at least oneobject in the user's field of regard. For example, the system can assigna focus indicator to the object which is determined to be closest to thelocation of the cursor. As the location of the cursor changes, so canthe object to which the focus indicator is assigned.

To aid the user in moving the cursor onto a desired object (e.g., toselect that object for further interaction), the system may simulate theeffect of an attractive force between the object and the cursor. Theattractive force may mimic a gravitational, magnetic, spring-like, orother attractive force between the objects. For example, the attractiveforce may decrease as the distance between the object and the cursorincreases. Thus, as the user moves the cursor closer to the desiredobject, the attractive force may increase and tend to pull the cursortoward the desired object. The attractive effect may make it easier forthe user to select objects since the user need only move the cursorsufficiently close to a desired object and the system will pull or snapthe cursor onto the desired object.

If the system (or the user) moves the cursor onto an object by mistake(or the user changes his or her mind), the user may detach the cursorfrom the object by applying sufficient user input to pull the cursor offthe object.

The amount of the attractive force or the range of the attractive forcecan be different for different objects or types of objects. For example,objects that the user may want to interact with (e.g., controls for avirtual display, objects or characters in a virtual game) may be moreattractive than objects that play a more passive role in the user'senvironment (e.g., a desk, a graphic on a wall). The attractive forcecan have a strength that can be modeled as an inverse function of thedistance between the cursor and the object (e.g., inverse square lawsimilar to gravity or inverse cube law similar to magnetic dipoles). Thestrength or range may be user selectable, because some users may prefera very strong attractive effect in which the system more aggressivelypulls the cursor onto objects whereas other users may prefer a small (orno) attractive effect.

Thus, embodiments of the wearable system can simulate the effect of anattractive force between a cursor and an object, because the cursor willbe attracted (and “snap”) to the closest object. This “attraction” canthe offer sustained input feedback and give an accurate sense ofposition to the user, without, in some cases, requiring the system todisplay the cursor (because the focus indicators inform the user wherethe cursor has been pulled to). This can be especially advantageous whenthe field of regard includes many objects (e.g., objects in a dense gridlayout) or when objects are relatively close to each other.

As an example of the attractive force, if the user releases the touchpadof a user input device, the cursor can slide (e.g., as if pulled bygravity) to a position at or within the nearest object (e.g., button,icon, etc.). In various embodiments, this sliding of the cursor canalways happen, never happen, or happen if the nearest object is within acertain distance tolerance relative to the cursor. The system canprovide settings that include whether the cursor will move to thenearest position on the nearest object, or to a position that alignswith either/both of the object's X and Y axes (e.g., if there is a rowof long, adjacent objects, it may be desirable to snap to a central Y orto a central X for a vertical stack of objects). The settings can alsoinclude whether use of the attractive force is wanted that are withinthe entire user environment or whether the attractive force is appliedin display panels that include a list or grid of selectable buttons,icons, graphics, etc.

In some cases, the cursor “attached” to an object may not immediatelybecome “unattached” to an object unless the user moves an input devicesufficiently to indicate to the system to detach the cursor from thepreviously selected object. This also mimics the effect of a stickiness,gravity, or magnetism between the cursor and the object such that thesystem acts as if the selected object is holding onto the cursor untilthe user sufficiently pulls the cursor off of the object.

To further aid user precision when targeting eclipse objects, in someembodiments, the system can implement an attractive effect that willtend to draw the cursor towards the closest object, after active userinput ceases. Thus, the cursor may act as if it had inertia and maycontinue to move toward the object even if the user stops actuating atotem or other input device. The pull of the attractive force moves thecursor in a natural way onto the desired object with relatively minimaluser action. This can advantageously make it easier for the user toselect objects and reduce or minimize user fatigue.

As an example of cursor inertia, if the user is providing touchpad inputand cursor motion is being determined or rendered, the system can alsoassociate movement of the cursor which can mimic a degree of inertia.For example, this movement can be applied from the moment that activeuser input ceases on the touchpad (e.g., the user lifts or stops movinghis or her finger). It can cause the cursor to continue along its motionpath until a dampening force reduces the inertia back to zero. Controlscan limit how much inertia can build up, as well as allowing for inertiaboosts to be applied in the event of the user releasing the touchpad atthe end of a fast swipe action (e.g., corresponding to a configurablethreshold). An inertia boost can support fast swipes through longitemized lists (e.g., to allow one large swipe to carry the cursor fromtop-to-bottom, if the user chooses).

In some embodiments, a cursor can have a magnetized effect on a focusindicator associated with an object such that a proximity of the cursoraffects an intensity or positioning of a focus indicator. For example,in some cases, each object may have a focus indicator (e.g., outerglow), and the intensity, size, and location of the focus indicator mayvary based on the location of the cursor. For example, as the cursormoves closer to an object, the focus indicator of that object can becomebrighter, more intense, or move in the direction of (e.g., be attractedtoward) the cursor. As the cursor selects the object, the system movesthe cursor behind the object while at the same time increasing anintensity of the focus indicator. For example, when the object isselected, the focus indicator can give the appearance of a halo orcorona around the object.

Varying Intensity of Focus Indicator

In some cases, the system can assign a focus indicator to more than oneobject, for example, based on multiple object's proximity to thecursor's location within the environment. Each object can have one ormore corresponding distance thresholds (e.g., a close distancethreshold, a medium distance threshold, etc.) or a dynamic distancethreshold based at least partly on environmental factors (e.g., densityof objects in the user's field of view FOV). If the cursor's locationwithin the environment passes a distance threshold, the system canrender a focus indicator for the corresponding object. To offer the useradditional positional feedback as to where the cursor is located in theenvironment, the focus indicators that are assigned to various objectscan have different attributes (e.g., intensity, color, size, etc.). Forexample, the focus indicators for objects nearby the cursor can berendered more brightly than the focus indicators for objects fartheraway from the cursor. The focus indicator on a side of an object closerto the cursor may be emphasized more than the focus indicator on a sideof the object farther from the cursor. Thus, if the cursor werepositioned between an upper object and a lower object, the focusindicators for the bottom portion of the upper object and the topportion of the lower object may be rendered more prominently than focusindicators for the more distant, top portion of the upper object andbottom portion of the lower object (if focus indicators are used at allfor these portions). Thus, these focus indicators provide a strongvisual cue to the user that the cursor is located between the upper andlower objects. The user can, by visually sweeping the FOV, readilyidentify where the cursor is located by observing the pattern of thefocus indicators associated with the objects in the FOV.

Accordingly, an intensity or glow (or size or shape) of a focusindicator can fade in or out depending on the spatial relationship(e.g., distance) between the cursor's location within the environmentand the location, size, or shape of nearby objects.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate examples of implementations of multiplefocus indicators having various intensities based on an object'sproximity to the cursor's location 1516 within the field of view. Asillustrated, the user's field of view 1520 includes a plurality ofobjects, namely a cup 1502, a clock 1504, a phone 1506, a basketball1508, and a camera 1510. Further, FIGS. 15A and 15B show two distancethresholds for the clock 1504 (thresholds 1526, 1528) and the basketball(thresholds 1522, 1524). The system can provide different functionalitywhen the different distance thresholds are passed. For example, when thecursor passes within the large distance thresholds (1524, 1528) thefocus indicator for the associated object may be displayed to the user.When the cursor passes within the smaller distance thresholds (1522,1526), the system may perform different functionality, for example,further emphasizing the appearance of the focus indicator or activatingthe attractive effect (described below) in which the cursor is pulledtoward and eclipsed by the associated object. The distance thresholds1522, 1524, 1526, 1528, are shown for illustrative purposes only inFIGS. 15A and 15B and need not rendered by the system. In addition,although FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate only two thresholds for theobjects, any number of thresholds are contemplated (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, ormore).

As described herein, the wearable system 400 can track, monitor, orotherwise determine the cursor's 1516 location within the field of view1520. Here, the system has determined that the cursor's location withinthe environment is between the clock 1504 and the basketball 1508 (andis closer to the clock 1504 than the basketball 1508). Further, thesystem has determined that the cursor's location within the environmenthas passed the smaller distance threshold 1526 corresponding to theclock 1504, and that the cursor's location within the environment haspassed the larger distance threshold 1524 corresponding to thebasketball 1508 (but has not passed the smaller threshold 1522 of thebasketball). Accordingly, because the cursor's location within theenvironment passes a threshold of both the clock 1504 and the basketball1508, the system renders a focus indicator to each of the clock 1504 andthe basketball 1508. However, to provide the user with an understandingthat the cursor's location within the environment is closer to the clock1504 than the basketball 1508, the system can render the focus indicator1512 assigned to the clock 1504 differently than the system renders thefocus indicator 1514 assigned to the basketball 1508. For example, thesystem can assign a larger or brighter focus indicator 1512 to the clock1504 (or to the portion of the clock nearest the cursor 1516), and canassign a smaller or less intense focus indicator 1514 to the basketball1508.

The cursor 1516 is farther away from the cup 1502, the phone 1506, andthe camera 1510 than their respective distance thresholds, therefore,the system does not, in this example, render a focus indicator aroundthese objects (or, in other examples, may render a focus indicator thatis less prominent than those of the clock and the basketball).

In some cases, the one or more distance thresholds are predetermined,while in other cases the one or more distance thresholds are dynamic andadjusted by the system depending on environmental factors. For example,the system can determine relatively large distance thresholds based atleast in part on a determination that the objects in the user's field ofview 1520 are relatively far away from each other. In contrast, thesystem can determine relatively small distance threshold based at leastin part on a determination that the objects in the user's field of view1520 are relatively close to each other, or that there are a relativelylarge amount of objects in the field of view 1520. This mayadvantageously allow a user to confidently select an object despite manyobjects being grouped or positioned close together.

In some embodiments, the intensity (or brightness) of a focus indicatorcan also include a presence of glow in a particular region around oradjacent an object. For example, as a cursor moves closer to an object,the focus indicator of that object can begin to fill (or become presentin) a larger region around the object. For example, with respect to FIG.15A, if the cursor 1516 is within distance threshold 1526 then the focusindicator 1512 can surround the object 1504 and the focus indicator 1512can be larger, brighter, or more intense than a focus indicatorcorresponding to other objects 1504.

Also, as further described with reference to FIGS. 16A-16D, 18A-18C, and29A-29F, in some embodiments, a focus indicator can be more visuallyperceptible on a side of the object closer or closest to the cursor andless perceptible on the opposite side of the object, which provides theuser with a clear perception that the cursor is closer to thatparticular side of the object (and farther from the opposite side of theobject). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15B, as the cursor 1516approaches the object 1504, the focus indicator 1512 can begin to moveout from behind the object 1504 to meet the cursor 1516 (see also FIGS.29A-29F). This gives the appearance that the focus indicator 1512 isattracted toward the cursor 1516 or pulled out from the object by thecursor. The object 1508 is farther from the cursor 1516 than the object1504 (e.g., relative to the thresholds 1522, 1524), and in FIG. 15B, thefocus indicator 1514 around the basketball has moved out toward thecursor 1516 less than the focus indicator 1512 around the clock.Accordingly, some or all of the relative brightnesses, positions,spatial extents (e.g., circumferential extent around an object), colors,graphical embellishments, etc. of the focus indicators can provide astrong visual indication to the user as to where the cursor is located,which objects are nearby the cursor (and how close or far), whichobjects have been selected by the user, and so forth.

Implementation of an Eclipse Cursor and Focus Indicator

A focus indicator represents a way of highlighting or emphasizing userselections within an AR, MR, or VR environment associated with thewearable system described herein. Rather than the conventional approachof showing a cursor that moves over and at least partially occludesinteractable content, the system can render a cursor that moves behindand is eclipsed by real or virtual objects. The use of focus indicatorsprovides positional feedback to the user via the relative appearance of,for example, glows or halos that radiate out from behind objects in theenvironment. Further, by continuing to track or determine user input(e.g., head pose, eye pose, body pose, input from user input device,etc.) even after assigning a focus indicator to an object, the systemcan modify the focus indicators of environmental objects, therebyproviding sustained input feedback, an immersive user experience, and anaccurate sense of cursor position to the user.

FIGS. 16A-16D illustrates an example of a process of rendering a focusindicator. Implementation of a focus indicator and eclipse cursor may beperformed in various ways. For example, implementation of the focusindicator may include utilization of a graphics processor (GPU) or acomputing device having at least moderate CPU power. In some cases, theGPU is configured to (i) run fragment shader programs, (ii) renderoff-screen render buffers, or (iii) perform several passes offull-screen processing work.

In some embodiments, to determine the proximity of objects in the user'sFOV, the system can determine a location of each of the objects relativeto the cursor's location within the environment. For example, many ofthe objects in the environment can be represented by a 2D shape sittingon a 3D world selection plane. The system can cast a ray against that 3Dworld selection plane to determine the proximity of the cursor'slocation within the environment relative to any given object. The systemcan also determine one or more features of the objects, such as a shapeor orientation of the objects. In some cases, based at least in part onthe objects shape, silhouette, orientation, or proximity to the cursor'slocation within the environment, the system can determine a spatialrelationship between the cursor's location within the environment and aportion of the object. For example, the system can determine when thecursor's location within the environment overlaps with an object orpasses a threshold distance to a portion of the object (e.g., a closestportion of the object, a center of the object, etc.). In some cases, forinstance when an environment includes multiple objects, the system candetermine which object is closest to the cursor's location within theenvironment. In some cases, displayed properties of the focus indicatorcan be based at least in part on the proximity of an object relative tothe cursor's location within the environment.

FIGS. 16A-16D schematically illustrate an example of a process by whichthe wearable system can render an eclipse cursor and focus indicator.This process can be performed by the local processing and data module260 of the wearable display system 200 described with reference to FIG.2. The example rendering process described with reference to FIGS.16A-16D can be performed twice to represent each eye in astereoscopically rendered AR/MR/VR environment.

FIG. 16A illustrates a first off-screen render pass for rendering afocus indicator. Based at least in part on a determined cursor locationwithin the environment, the system renders a cursor glow 1610 to anoff-screen buffer 1600A (sometimes referred to as a “CursorSourcebuffer”). The cursor glow 1610 can be located in the environment as ifit were a conventional cursor. For example, a center 1630 of the cursorglow 1610 can correspond to the cursor's location within theenvironment. The cursor glow 1610 will ultimately act as a mask definingthe largest display-space area within which a focus indicator willappear. The size or shape of the cursor glow 1610 can be based onvarious criteria, such as a desired focus indicator size, a proximity ofthe object relative to other objects, a size or shape of the objects, anumber or density of objects, etc.

FIG. 16B illustrates a second off-screen render pass for rendering thefocus indicator. The second off-screen render pass can be rendered toanother off-screen buffer 1600B (sometimes referred to as a “ShapeMaskbuffer”), and can include a mask representation of one or more of theobjects 1204. The mask representation can be based at least in part on alocation, orientation, or size of the objects in 3D space. For example,as illustrated in FIG. 16B, the system may only create masks for objectsthat fall within an outer boundary or silhouette 1620 of the cursor glow1610 from FIG. 16A. In some cases, the system may only create masks forobjects which will be assigned focus indicators. Thus, in this example,the system renders masks 1602, 1604, and 1606 but does not render a maskfor the object 1608, which is beyond the outer boundary 1620 of thecursor glow.

The system can determine the shape representation (e.g., the mask) ofthe objects 1204 in various ways. For example, the system can rendermasks reflective of a 3D camera transformation of their shape. In somecases, objects 1204 can be represented by 2D spheres, rectangles, orcapsule shapes which correspond to an actual shape of the object.Similarly, objects (such as real-world objects) can be represented by asilhouette of the object. In some cases, to draw each shape mask, thesystem utilizes a shader program that algorithmically renders a givenshape from a mathematical formula. In some cases, such as for a 3Dobject, the system can render a flat-color projection of the object. Insome cases, the system uses a camera space approximation of the object'sshape.

FIG. 16C illustrates a third off-screen render pass for rendering thefocus indicator. The third off-screen render pass can be rendered toanother off-screen buffer 1600C (sometimes referred to as a “GlowMaskbuffer”), and can include the masks (e.g., masks 1602, 1604, 1606) ofthe objects from the ShapeMask buffer 1600B, but can also includeglow-masks (e.g., glow masks 1622, 1624, 1626 described below) for oneor more of the objects. For example, as with the masks of FIG. 16B, thesystem may render glow masks for objects that fall within an outerboundary or silhouette 1620 of the cursor glow 1630 from FIG. 16A.

In some embodiments, the system may render a glow mask (e.g., an edgeglow, a halo, a shading, or other visual indicator) that radiates atleast partially around the masks 1602, 1604, 1606. For example, similarto the masks of FIG. 16B, the system can utilize a shader program (or amulti-tap blur of the object-mask) that can draw the shape of an objectin a way that feathers the edges of the object shapes by a tunable edgethickness amount. The shader program can use the location 1630 of thecursor and can vary the glow mask's edge thickness, glow brightness,color, or intensity in a way that reflects proximity to the cursor'slocation. For example, a more intense or brighter glow mask may beassociated with a closer object, while a less intense or dimmer glowmask may be associated with an object that is further away. For example,in the example shown in FIG. 16C, glow mask 1622 is brighter than glowmasks 1624 or 1626 because the object 1632 associated with glow mask1622 is closer to the cursor's location 1630 than the objects 1636,1624. In this example, a glow mask is not generated for the object 1608,because its distance from the center 1630 of the cursor glow 1610exceeds the size of the cursor glow. The varying intensity of the glowmasks can advantageously provide precise positional feedback, even whenthe system is not rendering an on-screen visual aid (e.g., a cursor) toindicate the position of the cursor.

To modify the glow mask's edge thickness, glow brightness, color,intensity, or other properties, the shader program can consider x and ydisplay-space distances from each rendered pixel to the cursor, and canexpand or contract feathering parameters (such as glow mask's edgethickness or glow intensity) accordingly.

FIG. 16D illustrates a fourth render pass for rendering the focusindicator. The fourth render pass can be rendered on-screen, and canrepresent a later (or final) stage 1600D of rendering work for theentire scene. For this render pass, the system has access to theCursorSource buffer 1600A, the ShapeMask buffer 1600B, and the GlowMask1600C buffer, as well as (optionally) one or more on- or off-screenbuffers comprising 3D scene content rendered by the renderingapplication (sometimes referred to as a “SceneBuffer”).

The system can combine the CursorSource buffer 1600A, the ShapeMaskbuffer 1600B, and GlowMask 1600C buffer, and SceneBuffer using varioustechniques. For example, a shader program can combine the variousbuffers together to generate the scene 1600D. For example, the shaderprogram can subtract each non-zero ShapeMask 1600B pixel from theSceneBuffer color. In addition, the shader program can add, to theSceneBuffer colors, the combination of the GlowMask 1600C buffer minusthe ShapeMask buffer 1600B and multiplied by the CursorSource buffer.

As illustrated in the scene 1600D of FIG. 16D, the objects 1632, 1634,and 1636 have been assigned a focus indicator 1202 a, 1202 b, 1202 c,respectively. The focus indicators 1202 a-1202 c radiate at leastpartially around each of the respective objects 1632, 1634, 1636. Inthis example, the portion of which the focus indicators 1202 radiatecorresponds to the portions of the objects that fall within the outerboundary or silhouette 1620 of the cursor glow. Portions of the objectsthat are outside the boundary 1620 are not rendered with a focusindicator in this example. However, in some cases, if at least a portionof the object falls within the silhouette 1620 of the cursor glow, theentire object and not just a portion of the object is assigned a focusindicator. As shown, because no portion of object 1638 falls within thesilhouette 1620 of the cursor glow 1610 (for the illustrated location1630 of the cursor), the object 1638 is not assigned a focus indicator.

Accordingly, a user who views the rendered scene in FIG. 16D will beprovided strong visual cues that the cursor is behind the object 1632due to the more intense focus indicator 1202 a (compared to indicators1202 b and 1202 c) and due to the fact that the focus indicators 1202 b,1202 c extend only partly around their associated objects 1636, 1634,whereas the focus indicator 1202 a extends almost entirely around theobject 1632.

In regions where there are sufficient objects or they are relativelydensely packed, the eclipse cursor and focus indicators can be effectiveat indicating the location of the cursor. However, in regions wherethere are few or no objects, the system can render a graphical element(e.g., a small glow sprite) to indicate the cursor position to the user.

In some embodiments, the system may provide tunable parameters for eachselectable object that control how strongly the object's edges mightglow when selected or interacted with, or which allow for increase ordecrease in the extent to which an object may glow as the cursorapproaches it. In some cases, when rendering shape masks or glow masks,the system can use a mathematical shape representation to incorporateanti-aliasing into the source render process.

Real-World Objects

Although the implementation of the focus indicators 1202 illustrated inFIGS. 16A-16D show the focus indicators associated with virtual content,similar techniques are applicable in assigning focus indicatorshighlighting real-world objects in an augmented or mixed-realityenvironment. For example, the system can use a camera spaceapproximation of the object's shape with a multi-tap blur used togenerate the focus indicator.

Eclipse Cursor in Planar Layouts

For environments with many selectable objects, e.g., organized grids orlists, the system may display the cursor to behave more like afocus-indicator. FIG. 17 shows an example of a grid 1700 and user inputon a totem 1702 (with a touch sensitive surface 1704). The user's touchon a trajectory 1706 on the touch sensitive surface 1704 moves thecursor along substantially the same trajectory 1710 across the gridlayout 1700 of selectable objects. The objects may have the attractiveeffect described herein, so the cursor need not be displayed betweenobjects as it is attracted to the closest object. For example, one ofthe objects in the grid 1700 may always have focus (e.g., and beemphasized by a focus indicator). Visual focus indicators and(optionally) haptic events on the totem 1702 can accompany hovering over(or selection of) objects.

For flexible navigation of more complex layouts, including regions withgranular selection, such as a browser or a document with much selectabletext, the cursor may always be visualized, because the layout is notfull of eclipse objects that will occlude the cursor. Visual focusindicators and optional haptic events can still accompany hovering overselectable objects.

Additional Examples of Eclipse Cursors and Focus Indicators

FIGS. 18A-18C illustrate an example of a cursor 1202 moving toward anobject 1204 having a focus indicator 1302. The object 1204 may be aselectable object such as any virtual content, which can be selected toinitiate execution of an application. In this example, for illustrativepurposes, the virtual content (for example, the icon) is illustrated asthe earth and moon in a starry background, and the executableapplication is labeled as Space Explorer. Dashed lines around the icon1202, the focus indicator 1302, and the object 1204 indicate that eachof these graphical elements may be rendered by the display system indifferent buffers, which can be combined as described with reference toFIGS. 16A-16D.

FIG. 18A illustrates an example when the cursor is remote from theobject 1204. In this case, the cursor 1202 is relatively bright to aidvisibility to the user and the focus indicator 1302 is relatively smalland not very intense. The system may render the focus indicator 1302 asroughly the same size as the object 1202 (as shown by the dashed linesin FIG. 18A) and may render the object 1202 on top of the focusindicator 1302 or render the object 1202 after the focus indicator 1302.Thus, when the cursor 1202 is remote from object 1204, the focusindicator 1302 can be said to stay “hidden” behind the object 1204 andmay be visually imperceptible or nearly imperceptible to the user.

FIG. 18B illustrates an example of the interactions between the cursor,object, and focus indicator as the cursor approaches the object. Asillustrated, the focus indicator 1302 in FIG. 13B is larger, brighter,or more intense than the focus indicator of FIG. 18A. Furthermore, asthe cursor 1202 approaches the object 1204, the focus indicator 1302begins to move out from behind the object to meet the cursor 1202. Thisgives the appearance that the focus indicator is attracted toward thecursor 1202. In addition, FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate how an intensityof the focus indicator can fade in or out depending on an object'sproximity to the cursor and position relative to the cursor. Forexample, in FIG. 18B, the focus indicator 1302 is more visuallyperceptible on the side of the object 1204 closest to the cursor 1202and less perceptible on the opposite side of the object, which providesthe user with a clear perception that the cursor 1202 is close to thatparticular side of the object 1204.

FIG. 18C illustrates an example of the interactions between the cursor,object, and focus indicator as the cursor moves (or hovers) behind theobject. When the cursor 1202 moves behind the object 1204, the object1204 grows larger (in this example) and the object foreground expandssuch that the object 1204 appears closer or larger to the user. Inaddition, the focus indicator 1302 becomes brighter and maysubstantially surround the object to indicate that the object 1204 hasbeen selected. In this example, the icon (which had been represented in2D in FIGS. 18A and 18B) has expanded out so that the earth (and moon)are displayed in front of the starry background (e.g., at depths thatare closer to the user than the depth of the starry background).

Example Focus Indicators

FIGS. 19-22 illustrate various examples of focus indicators that can berendered by the system. The focus indicators 1302 can be circular (e.g.,as shown in FIGS. 18, 19, and 21), rectangular (e.g., as shown in FIG.20), or other shapes. In some cases, the focus indicator can include alabel disposed adjacent (e.g., above, below, or to the side of) anobject 1302. For example, FIG. 19 shows a label “Search” to the side ofthe object 1302 and FIG. 20 shows a label “Gather pages” above theobject 1302. The label can be emphasized (e.g., made brighter) when theobject is selected to provide a visual cue regarding the object to theuser. Although these examples show textual labels, the label can be anygraphical element. FIG. 22 shows an example where an applicationselection icon has been selected by the user, which permits the user toselect among applications such as a browser, a social network, etc. InFIG. 22, the user has selected the Browser application and the systemrenders a focus indicator 1302 as a halo around the Browser icon.

Example Processes of Implementation of an Eclipse Cursor

FIG. 23 illustrates a flowchart for an example method for rendering afocus indicator in a 3D scene. The process 2300 may be performed by oneor more components of the wearable system 200 such as e.g., the remoteprocessing module 270, the local processing and data module 260, agraphics processor (GPU), or another processor, alone or in combination.The display 220 of the wearable system 200 can present a scene to theuser and the system can obtain user input data such as eye pose datafrom the inward-facing imaging system 462 or head pose data from IMUs,accelerometers, or gyroscopes or user input data for moving thecursor/cursor or selecting objects from a user input device 466 such asthe hand-held totem 1702.

At block 2302, the wearable system can determine the cursor's locationwithin the user's environment. The system can obtain user input datasuch as eye pose data from the inward-facing imaging system 462, headpose data from IMUs, accelerometers, or gyroscopes, or data from a userinput device such as the user input device 466 of FIG. 4 or the totem1702 of FIG. 17. Based at least in part on the user input data, thesystem can determine the cursor's location within the environment. Insome cases, in addition to determining the cursor's location within theenvironment, the system can also render the cursor 1202 or otheron-screen visual aid that corresponds to the cursor's location withinthe environment.

At block 2304, the system can determine a spatial relationship betweenthe cursor's location within the environment and one or more objects inthe user's field of view (or field of regard). In some cases, the systemcan determine one or more features of the objects, such as a location, ashape, an orientation, or a size of the one or more objects. Based atleast in part on the one or more object features and the cursor'slocation within the environment determined at block 2302, the system candetermine a spatial relationship between the cursor's location withinthe environment and any portion of the object. The spatial relationshipcan include relative location information, e.g., how far a portion of anobject is from the cursor's location within the environment or arelative orientation between the cursor and the portion of the object(e.g., whether the cursor is above, below, to the left, to the right ofthe object. The system can determine whether the cursor's locationwithin the environment overlaps with an object or is behind the objector can determine a distance between the cursor's location within theenvironment and a portion of the object (e.g., a closest portion of theobject, a center of the object, etc.). In some cases, the system candetermine which object(s) are closest to the cursor's location withinthe environment.

In some implementations, virtual objects in the environment can berepresented by a 2D shape sitting on a 3D world selection plane. Thesystem can cast a ray against that 3D world selection plane to determinethe proximity of the cursor's location within the environment relativeto any given object. The spatial relationship can include the distancebetween the cursor and the object (or portion of the object) and arelative orientation of the cursor and the object.

At block 2306, the system can assign a focus indicator to at least aportion of one or more objects based at least in part on the determinedspatial relationship(s). For example, the system can render the focusindicator using the techniques described with reference to FIGS.16A-16D. Also, as described with reference to FIG. 12B and FIGS.18A-18C, if the determined spatial relationship provides that the cursoroverlaps or is behind the object, the system can render the object infront of the cursor so that the cursor does not occlude the object.

The process 2300 is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Thevarious blocks described herein can be implemented in a variety oforders, and that the wearable system can implement one or more of theblocks concurrently or change the order, as desired. Fewer, more, ordifferent blocks can be used as part of the process 2300. For example,the process 2300 can include blocks for displaying a cursor orperforming other user interface actions.

Examples of a Portion of a Display with Virtual Content or a GraphicalUser Interface

FIGS. 24-28 are front views of examples of a portion of a display screenwith virtual content. In these examples, the virtual content (forexample, an icon) comprises a stylized representation of a head that ismostly within a circle. FIGS. 24-28 show examples a focus indicator atleast partially surrounding the virtual content. The focus indicator isrepresented as short lines that appear to radiate outward from thevirtual content. In these examples, relative to the virtual content, thefocus indicator is generally below (FIG. 24), substantially surrounding(with greater extent below the virtual content in FIG. 25), on the right(FIG. 26), on the left (FIG. 27), and above and below (FIG. 28).

FIGS. 29A-29F are front views of an embodiment of a graphical userinterface for a display screen or a portion thereof. The appearance ofthe graphical user interface sequentially transitions between the imagesshown in FIGS. 29A-29F. No ornamental aspects are associated with theprocess or period in which one image transitions to another image. Inthese example figures, a virtual object (e.g., an icon) is representedby a dashed circle and in other embodiments could be a rectangle,polygon, or other shape. In FIG. 29A, a focus indicator is shown ingreyscale as a circular annulus surrounding the virtual content (forexample, the icon). A cursor is shown in dashed lines. In thetransitional image sequence which continues in FIGS. 29B-29F, as thecursor moves away from the icon, the focus indicator is pulled outwardand away from the icon and toward the cursor, until it separates fromthe icon in FIG. 29E and then transitions to a circular shape in FIG.29F. In FIG. 29F, the focus indicator is represented as a greyscalecircle, and the cursor is not rendered by the display.

The designs shown in FIGS. 24-29F can be embodied by an augmentedreality or mixed reality display, such as a head-mounted display. Forexample, the display can comprise the display 220 of the wearable system200 described with reference to FIG. 2, or the display of the wearablesystem 400 described with reference to FIG. 4, or the display of theoptical display system 600 described with reference to FIG. 6. Thedisplay or a portion thereof is represented by the outer rectangulardashed lines in FIGS. 24-29F. Neither the display nor the icon (or othergraphical elements of the animated graphical user interface) are limitedto the scale shown in FIGS. 24-29F. Broken lines showing the displayform no part of the design.

Accordingly, in various aspects, the disclosure provides the ornamentaldesign for a display screen or a portion thereof with an icon or with atransitional (or animated) graphical user interface, as shown anddescribed.

Examples of a Portion of a Display with Virtual Content or a GraphicalUser Interface

FIGS. 30A-30F illustrate an embodiment of a transitional sequence for aGUI on a display screen or a portion thereof. The GUI can be rendered byany of the wearable displays described herein, such as, e.g., thewearable display systems 200, 400, 600 described with reference to FIGS.2, 4, and 6. FIGS. 30A-30F show a GUI having a cursor 1202 thatsequentially transitions from Point A to Point F along an illustrativepath 3001 indicated by a dashed line. As illustrated, the GUI includes aplurality of icons 3002 presented in a grid layout. It will beunderstood that the icons 3002 are an example of virtual content thatthe GUI can include, and further understood that any other virtualcontent can be included in addition or alternatively to the icons 3002.The GUI uses the cursor 1202 or a focus indicator 1302, as describedherein, to show interactions between the cursor, icon, or focusindicator as the cursor moves (or hovers) behind an icon. The gridlayout, icon shape (e.g., rectangular in these figures), and cursor pathare intended to be illustrative and not limiting. The icons in the gridlayout can be rendered at a single depth (e.g., to appear 2D) or atmultiple depths (e.g., to appear 3D). The icons 3002 can be thumbnails.The grid layout need not be planar and can be rendered as curved (e.g.,with some portions of the layout at closer depths than other portions).

FIG. 30A illustrates an example of the interactions between icons 3002and the cursor 1202 as the cursor 1202 is positioned at Point A. Theicons 3002 can correspond to any type of interactable objects in thevirtual environment of the user of the wearable system. Interactableobjects include, without limitation, applications (e.g., apps), contentfolders, digital media such as, but not limited to, still images,videos, audio, music, albums, documents, or the like. As illustrated, atPoint A the cursor 1202 is between icons 3010, 3012 (B3 and D3) withinthe grid layout. In other words, at Point A the cursor 1202 is notselecting any of icons 3002.

FIG. 30B illustrates an example of the interactions between icon 3010(B3) and the focus indicator 1302 as the cursor 1202 moves (or hovers)behind the icon 3010 at Point B. As shown in this example, when thecursor 1202 moves behind the icon 3010, the GUI assigns a focusindicator 1302 that surrounds the icon 3010 to indicate that the icon3010 has been hovered under by the cursor. The focus indicator 1302 isshown in greyscale as a curved shape, which in this example,substantially surrounds the icon. The cursor 1202 is eclipsed by theicon 3010 in FIG. 30B. Although the cursor 1202 is shown in dashedlines, the dashed lines merely indicate the position of where the cursor1202 would be, if rendered.

In some cases, the visual appearance of the selected icon 3010 canchange to indicate that the icon has been selected by the user. Forexample, the user may select the icon 3010 by hovering the cursor 1202under the icon 3010 for a period of time (e.g., a few seconds or more),user input from a totem (e.g., actuating a touch sensitive surface suchas clicking or double-clicking), an eye, head, or body gesture, etc. Forexample, the wearable system may detect user selection of the icon basedat least partly on eye gaze, e.g., an eye tracking camera detects theuser fixating on the icon 3010 for longer than a threshold time (e.g., 1s or more).

The visual appearance of the other icons in the layout (e.g., the iconsthat do not eclipse the cursor) can change to indicate that icon 3010has been hovered under or selected. The icon 3010 or the other icons canchange in size or shape as the cursor 1202 moves behind icon 3010. Forexample, the icon 3010 can grow larger or the icon foreground can expandsuch that the icon 3010 appears closer or larger to the user (e.g., atdepths that are closer to the user than the depth of the background).Similarly, the un-selected icons can grow smaller or the foreground ofthe un-selected icons can reduce such that the icons appear further fromor smaller to the user. Additional or alternative changes to size,shape, or visual appearance of the icons can be used. For example, theselected icon 3010 can grow smaller or the other icons 3002 grow largerwhen icon 3010 is hovered under or selected.

The selected icon 3010 or the other icons can change in clarity(including transparency), resolution, or the like as the cursor 1202moves behind icon 3010. For example, when no icon is selected (e.g.,such as illustrated in FIG. 30A), each of the icons 3002 may bepresented at a first clarity or a first resolution. As the cursor 1202moves behind the icon 3010, the clarity or resolution of the hoveredunder or selected icon can change, for example, to a second clarity or asecond resolution. In some cases, the second clarity is clearer than thefirst clarity, and in some cases, the second resolution is higherresolution than the first resolution. Accordingly, as an icon 3010 isselected, the icon 3010 can become more in focus, higher resolution, orhigher quality than the icon was pre-selection.

In addition or alternatively, as the cursor 1202 moves behind icon 3010,the clarity or resolution of the other icons (e.g., un-selected icons)can change, for example, to a third clarity or a third resolution. Insome cases, the third clarity can be less clear than the first clarityor the third resolution can be lower resolution than the firstresolution. Accordingly, when icon 3010 is selected, the other icons canappeared blurred, out of focus, low resolution, or low quality.

However, in some cases, the clarity or resolution of the selected iconcan decrease when selected. Similarly, the clarity or resolution of thenon-selected icons can increase when an icon is selected. Additional oralternative changes to clarity, resolution, or the like can beimplemented.

In some cases, as the cursor 1202 moves behind icon 3010, additionaldetail can be shown for the selected icon 3010. For example, additiondetail can include a caption 3014, which can include a title for an appor media. Similarly, additional detail can include a size (e.g., inbytes), a date created, a date modified, a location, a file type, aresolution, video detail (e.g., length of video, producer, actors,etc.), or other characteristics corresponding to the selected icon 3010.

In some cases, as the cursor 1202 moves behind icon 3010, one or morefeatures of the selected icon 3010 can activate. For example, if theicon 3010 corresponds to a video, the selection of the icon 3010 cancause the video to begin to play. Similarly, selection of the icon 3010can cause GUI to cycle through images, play an album, play a GIF, or thelike.

FIG. 30C illustrates an example of the interactions between the icon3010 and the focus indicator 1302 as the cursor 1202 transitions behindthe icon 3010 to Point C, near the center of the icon 3010. In theillustrated embodiment, as the cursor 1202 moves towards the center ofthe icon 3010, the icon 3010 continues to grow larger (e.g., as comparedto FIG. 30B) such that the icon 3010 appears even closer or larger tothe user (e.g., at a closer depth). For example, the icon 3010 can growin size such that at least a portion of the icon 3010 overlaps with oneor more other icons. In examples such as these, the overlapped icons canbecome more transparent or blurry, or they can become partially coveredby the selected icon 3010.

In addition or alternatively, as the cursor 1202 transitions to a morecentral location behind the icon 3010, the intensity of the focusindicator 1302 can change. For example, the focus indicator 1302 canbecome brighter or larger. Furthermore, the clarity, resolution, or thelike of the selected icon 3010 or the other icons can continue toincrease or decrease. By continuing to track the cursor (even afterassigning a focus indicator) and modifying the intensity of the focusindicator or characteristics of the icons, the system can providesustained input feedback and an accurate sense of cursor position to theuser

FIG. 30D illustrates an example of the interactions between icons 3010and 3012 and the cursor 1202 as the cursor 1202 moves along the pathfrom Point C (under the icon 3010) to Point D (between the icons 3010and 3012). As illustrated, when the icon 3010 is no longer selected (orhovered under), the icon can return to its original size, shape,resolution, focus, clarity, or the like, as illustrated in FIG. 30A.

FIG. 30E illustrates an example of the interactions between icon 3012and the focus indicator 1302 as the cursor 1202 moves (or hovers) behindthe icon 3012 to Point E. As described herein with respect to FIG. 30B,when the cursor 1202 moves behind the icon 3012, the GUI can assign afocus indicator 1302 that surrounds the icon 3012 to indicate that theicon 3010 has been selected. The focus indicator can include a caption3016.

FIG. 30F illustrates an example of the interactions between icon 3010and the focus indicator 1302 as the cursor 1202 transitions behind theicon 3012 to Point F. As described herein with respect to FIG. 30C, asthe cursor 1202 moves towards the center of the icon 3012, the icon 3012continues to grow larger (e.g., as compared to FIG. 30E) such that theicon 3012 appears even closer or larger to the user. For example, theicon 3010 can grow in size such that at least a portion of the icon 3012overlaps with one or more other icons.

Similarly as described with reference to FIGS. 30A-30F, the GUI cancontinue to dynamically update the icons, the cursor, or the focusindicator as the cursor continues to move along an extension of the path3001 or along a different path among the icons in the grid layout.

Examples of Scrolling of Data in a Graphical User Interface

FIGS. 31A-31C illustrate an embodiment of a scrolling sequence of a GUIon a display screen or a portion thereof. FIGS. 32A-32F illustrateanother embodiment of a scrolling sequence of the GUI, including ascrollbar, on a display screen or a portion thereof. The GUI can berendered by any of the wearable displays described herein, such as,e.g., the wearable display systems 200, 400, 600 described withreference to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. Scrolling of text, graphics, or othercontent in the GUI advantageously allows users to move large distancesto navigate the content. In the illustrated examples, the GUI includes aplurality of icons 3102 arranged in a grid layout and furtherillustrates scrolling of the icons 3102 of the grid. The icons 3102 aremerely an example of virtual content that the GUI can include. Any othervirtual content can be included in addition or alternatively to theicons 3102. The grid layout and icon shape (e.g., generally rectangularor triangular in these figures) are intended to be illustrative and notlimiting. The icons in the grid layout can be rendered at a single depthor at multiple depths. The scrolling sequence depicted in FIGS. 31A-31Cand the eclipse cursor features depicted in FIGS. 30A-30F can be usedseparately or together. For example, when the scrolling stops, the usercan move the cursor to one of the icons in the grid layout, and the GUIcan illustrate this cursor movement and hovering or selecting an icon asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 30A-30F.

FIG. 31A illustrates an example of the plurality of arranged icons 3102in the GUI. As described with respect to FIGS. 30A-30F, the icons 3102can correspond to virtual content such as, e.g., apps or digital media.Although the icons 3102 are arranged in a grid, the icons 3102 can bepresented on the GUI in various ways. For example, the positioning ofthe icons 3102 can be selected or controlled by a user or the icons 3102can be arranged automatically according to one or more grouping criteria(e.g., alphabetically by item name, by content type, by date, byfrequency of use, etc.). The icons in the grid layout can be rendered ata single depth (e.g., to appear 2D) or at multiple depths (e.g., toappear 3D). In some embodiments, the icons 3002 may be thumbnails. Thegrid layout need not be planar and can be rendered as curved (e.g., withsome portions of the layout at closer depths than other portions).

FIG. 31B illustrates an example of the GUI after a scrolling sequencehas been initiated by the user (e.g., by actuating a totem, swipingacross the virtual layout, hovering the cursor near an edge of the gridor display, etc.). The user initiation can provide a scrolling directionor a scrolling speed. The scrolling sequence can mimic momentum of thescrolling content that causes scrolling speed to increase (from rest)such that the scrolling content is blurred, unreadable, or the like,while scrolling. The scrolling sequence can simulate drag so that thescrolling speed slows down and comes to a stop. The wearable system canaccept additional user input to halt the scrolling (e.g., a furtheractuation of the totem or a stop gesture by a hand of the user).

While scrolling, the icons 3102 can move to a more distant depth, changetheir sizes (e.g., become smaller), or be displayed with less clarity(e.g., with greater transparency) or less resolution. For example, FIG.31B schematically depicts the icons 3102 as less sharp (compared to FIG.31A or 31C). In some embodiments, to assist the user in seeing whaticons are coming up next, as the icons 3102 scroll, the GUI can displaya subset of the virtual content. For example, the subset can include thevirtual content (e.g., the icons 3102) within the user's field of view.As another example, the subset can include all of the content beingscrolled through. As yet another example, the subset can include acontent panel 3104 that corresponds to the scrolling icons. In thisexample, the icons 3102 scroll horizontally to the right (as shown bydashed arrow 3120, which may, but need not, be displayed to the user) sothat new icons appear from the left (and disappear to the right). Thus,the content panel 3104 can be displayed in the general location fromwhich new icons appear (e.g., on the left side of the display in thisexample). In other examples, the icons 3102 can scroll in any direction(e.g., left to right, right to left, down to up, up to down, diagonally,etc.). Since the wearable system can display content at multiple depths,the content can scroll from foreground (e.g., closer depths) tobackground (e.g., more distant depths) or from background to foreground.Any combination of these scrolling techniques can be used. Furthermore,in some cases, the GUI does not include the content panel 3104.

The content panel 3104 can include information regarding the scrollingcontent. For example, the icons 3102 can be part of a library, and thecontent panel 3104 can include favorites, recently used, or most usedicons in the library. In some cases, the library can be grouped orsorted by a grouping criterion, such as by date created, date modified,a name, icon type (e.g., image, video, GIF, album, app, document, etc.),size, or the like. As the content scrolls by, the content panel 3104 cancorrespond to the particular group or class that corresponds to thecontent scrolling behind the content panel 3104. As the icons 3102continue to scroll, the content panel 3104 can be periodically updatedwith new information that represents the passing content. FIG. 31B showsan instant where the content panel 3104 comprises icons B1-B4.

As a non-limiting example, the icons 3102 can be sorted by date. As thecontent scrolls, the content panel 3104 is periodically updated with newinformation that represents the passing dates. For example, if thescrolling icons 3102 include an October date, the content panel caninclude information regarding October. For instance, a message 3114 caninclude an abbreviation “OCT”, and the content panel 3104 can includefavorite icons from October, recently used icons from October, the mostused icons from October, or the like. As the content continues to scrollto the next month (e.g., November), the content panel 3104 can update toinclude information that represents November (e.g., the abbreviation canchange to “NOV”, and the panel can show favorite icons from November,recently used icons from November, the most used icons from November, orthe like). The content panel 3104 can continue to update as additionaldates pass.

The content panel 3104 can be anchored at a location on the GUI, whilecontent scrolls off-screen (and the same content can return when theuser reverse scrolls). In the illustrated embodiments, the content panel3104 is anchored on the left hand side of the GUI. However, the contentpanel 3104 can be located anywhere within the GUI, such as the center,bottom, top, or right hand side. In some cases, the location of thecontent panel 3104 is configurable by the user.

The content panel 3104 can be presented in various ways. For example,the size of the content bar can vary, for instance, based at leastpartly on the scrolling speed. A faster scrolling speed can cause thecontent bar to display at a first size, while slower scrolling can causethe content bar to display at a second size (e.g., smaller than thefirst size). Further, the shape of the content panel 3104 can vary. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the content panel 3104 includes a verticallist. However, the list can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, square,or the like. In addition or alternatively, the content panel 3104 maynot include a list, by instead can include a single object, an icon, animage, text, or the like. The content panel 3104 can be displayed at adifferent depth or depths than the grid layout. For example, it may bedisplayed in front of the grid layout (e.g., as shown in FIG. 31B),behind the layout, and so forth. In some cases, the characteristics ofthe content panel 3104 are configurable by the user.

The content panel 3104 can include detail (e.g., a message 3114) thatcan correspond to the content presented in the content panel. Forexample, the detail can include a caption, a title, or othercharacteristics corresponding to the scrolling content. For example,referring back to the example, where the icons are sorted by date, themessage 3114 could include the date abbreviation (e.g., “OCT”).

As the scrolling sequence ends, the icons 3102 can come to a stop andthe content panel 3104 can disappear. For example, FIG. 31C illustratesan example of the icons 3102 after the scrolling sequence has ended. Incontrast to FIG. 31B, the icons 3102 are in focus and are illustrated ashaving shifted slightly compared to FIG. 31A. Similar techniques can beused for other types of scrolling such as vertical or diagonalscrolling.

In some implementations, the GUI can utilize edge scrolling, in whichscrolling begins when a user hovers the cursor near an edge of the grid(or of the display). The GUI can maintain user behavior history data sothat the next time the user opens or accesses the grid layout, the GUIdisplays the cursor on the most recent icon added to the layout (e.g.,the most recent music album or video the user has added) or the mostrecently accessed icon.

Examples of Scrolling of Data in a Graphical User Interface

FIGS. 32A-32F illustrate an embodiment of a transitional sequence of aGUI on a display screen or a portion thereof. The GUI can be rendered byany of the wearable displays described herein, such as, e.g., thewearable display systems 200, 400, 600 described with reference to FIGS.2, 4, and 6. Scrolling of text, graphics, or other content in the GUIadvantageously allows users to move large distances to navigate thecontent. In the illustrated examples, the GUI includes a scrollbar 3224(shown in FIGS. 32B-32F) corresponding to the scrolling of icons 3202arranged in a grid layout. The icons 3202 are merely an example ofvirtual content that the GUI can include. Any other virtual content canbe included in addition or alternatively to the icons 3202. Thescrollbar 3224 (e.g., location, shading, shape, size, transparency,etc.), grid layout, and icon shape (e.g., generally rectangular ortriangular in these figures) are intended to be illustrative and notlimiting. The scrolling sequence depicted in FIGS. 32A-32F and theeclipse cursor features depicted in FIGS. 30A-30F can be used separatelyor together. For example, when the scrolling stops, the user can movethe cursor to one of the icons in the grid layout, and the GUI canillustrate this cursor movement. Further, hovering or selecting an icon3202 can be similar to as described with reference to FIGS. 30A-30F.

The scrollbar 3224 may not be rendered prior to an indication from theuser that scrolling is to be initiated (see, e.g., FIG. 32A) and thenrendered during scrolling (see, e.g., FIGS. 32B-32F). When scrollingceases, rendering of the scrollbar 3224 may also cease. Such renderingbehavior is sometimes referred to as a disappearing scrollbar. In otherimplementations, or for certain applications executed by the displaysystem, the scrollbar 3224 may be rendered whenever the grid of icons isdisplayed or the application is running.

FIG. 32A (which is generally similar to FIG. 31A) illustrates theplurality of arranged icons 3202 in the GUI. As described with respectto FIGS. 30A-30F, the icons 3202 can correspond to virtual content suchas, e.g., apps or digital media. Although the icons 3202 are arranged ina virtual layout that comprises a grid, the icons 3202 can be presentedon the GUI in various ways. For example, the positioning of the icons3202 can be selected or controlled by a user or the icons 3202 can bearranged automatically according to one or more grouping criteria (e.g.,alphabetically by item name, by content type, by date, by frequency ofuse, etc.). The icons in the grid layout can be rendered at a singledepth (e.g., to appear 2D) or at multiple depths (e.g., to appear 3D).The icons 3202 can be thumbnails. The grid layout need not be planar andcan be rendered as curved (e.g., with some portions of the layout atcloser depths than other portions).

FIG. 32B illustrates an example of the GUI after a scrolling sequencehas been initiated by the user (e.g., by actuating a totem, swipingacross the layout, hovering the cursor near an edge of the grid ordisplay, etc.). The user initiation can provide a scrolling direction ora scrolling speed. The scrolling sequence can mimic momentum of thescrolling content that causes scrolling speed to increase (from rest)such that the scrolling content is blurred, unreadable, or the like,while scrolling. The scrolling sequence can simulate drag so that thescrolling speed slows down and comes to a stop. The wearable system canaccept additional user input to halt the scrolling (e.g., a furtheractuation of the totem or a stop gesture by a hand of the user). In thisexample, the icons 3202 scroll horizontally to the right (as shown bydashed arrow 3220, which may, but need not, be displayed to the user) sothat new icons appear from the left (and disappear to the right).

In some cases, only a fraction of viewable content may be visible to theuser via a viewable window 3290 that is rendered by the GUI. That is,the icons displayed in the GUI can be a subset of a content library thatincludes additional hidden content that extends beyond the borders ofthe viewable window 3290. A scrolling sequence initiated by the user canbring into view one or more portions of this hidden content. Asillustrated in FIGS. 32B-32F, the GUI can include a scrollbar 3224 toprovide real-time feedback corresponding to the scrolled content. Theviewable window 3290 may occupy all or just a portion of the field ofview (FOV) of the user.

As will be further described below, the feedback can provide the userwith an indication of where the scrolling started, where the scrollingposition is currently or will be at the end of the scroll, an amount ofthe virtual content that is displayed in the viewable window of the FOVrelative to the total amount of the virtual content, etc.

The scrollbar 3224 can include an elongated area that comprises a bar3234 (sometimes referred to as a thumb) that can move along a trough3230 (sometimes referred to as a track). The trough 3230 in this exampleis generally straight and rectangular in shape, with rounded ends, butother shapes can be used (e.g., curved shapes). The bar 3234 in thisexample fits within the trough 3230, but could extend outside of thetrough in other examples. The bar 3234 can be rendered in a contrastingvisual style (e.g., different color, brightness, shading, etc.) to theappearance of the trough 3230 so that the bar is visuallydistinguishable to the user. The length of the trough 3230 can be scaledto fit within the viewable window (e.g., having a length in a range fromabout 10% to 90% of the length of the viewable window). The width of thetrough 3230 can be scaled to be proportional to the length of thetrough, a fixed width, etc. The scrollbar 3224 can be displayed at thesame depth as the icons 3202, the same depth as the content panel 3204,or at a different depth or depths (e.g., the scrollbar could be renderedas curved). In other implementations, the scrollbar 3224 can beaccompanied by other scroll control elements (e.g., selectable arrows orgraphical icons to select scroll direction or scroll amount (e.g.,uniform scrolling, scrolling by page or chapter, etc.)). Furthermore, insome embodiments, the GUI does not include the content panel 3204.

The length of the trough 3230 can represent the size of the contentlibrary, and the length of the bar 3234 can represent the portion of thecontent library that is visible via the GUI (e.g., visible within theviewable window). For example, if half of the library of content isvisible via the GUI, the bar 3234 can be sized to occupy approximatelyhalf of the trough 3230. In contrast, if only ten percent of the contentlibrary is visible via the GUI, the bar 3234 can be sized to occupyapproximately ten percent of the trough 3230. The size of the bar 3234can change during a scrolling sequence. For example, when the scrollingspeed is high such that the scrolling content is compressed, blurred,unreadable, or the like, the size of the bar 3234 can increase toindicate that a relatively large portion of the content is scrollingacross and being displayed (albeit possibly unreadably) in the GUI. Incontrast, when the scrolling speed is slowing down or near rest, thecontent can be more spaced apart, less blurry, more readable, or thelike, and the size of the bar 3234 can decrease to indicate that arelatively small portion of the content is scrolling across and beingdisplayed in the GUI.

The position of the bar 3234 within the trough 3230 can change during ascrolling sequence. For example, the system can adjust the position ofthe bar 3234 so that it indicates what portion of the content library iscurrently visible in the window of the GUI. As a non-limiting example,the content library can be grouped or sorted by a grouping criterion,such as by date created, date modified, a name, icon type, size, or thelike. If, for example, the GUI displays the first fifteen percent ofcontent (e.g., when the content library is sorted by a groupingcriterion), then the bar 3234 can be positioned at the beginning (e.g.,far right or far left) of the trough 3230. In addition, the size of bar3234 can be approximately fifteen percent of the size of the trough3230. As the content scrolls, for example, to display the middle twentypercent of the content library, then the bar 3234 can move to bepositioned at the middle of the trough 3230, and can sized atapproximately twenty percent of the size of the trough 3230.

In some cases and with reference to FIG. 32B, the bar 3234 can indicatethe amount of content over which the user is scrolling or has scrolled.For example, the bar 3234 can include a temporarily fixed edge 3238 anda movable edge 3236. At the start of a scrolling sequence, thetemporarily fixed edge 3238 can remain static or fixed in a location,such as the location of the temporarily fixed edge 3238 at the start ofthe scrolling sequence. In contrast, the movable edge 3236 can movealong the trough 3230 analogous to the scrolling content, such that asthe content scrolls, the movable edge 3236 moves along the troughproportionate to the scrolling content. This can give the appearancethat the bar 3234 is stretching or compressing.

In examples such as these the size of the bar 3234 can provide a visualindication of the amount of content over which the user has scrolled.For example, if the user scrolls over fifty percent of the content, themovable edge 3236 can have stretched (and the temporarily fixed edge3238 can have remained static) such that the size of the bar 3234increases to approximately fifty percent of the trough 3230.Accordingly, the user can quickly and in real-time understand how muchcontent (e.g., relative to the entire content library) the user hasscrolled over during a particular scrolling sequence. In some cases, inresponse to the halting of the scrolling (or some time period after thescrolling has halted) the temporarily fixed edge 3238 can become unfixedand can move towards (or away from) the movable edge until the length ofthe bar 3234 corresponds to the portion of the content library that isvisible via the GUI (relative to the entire content library), asdescribed above. As the temporarily fixed edge 3238 moves, thepositioning of the bar 3234 within the trough 3230 can indicate whichportion of the content library is currently visible in the window of theGUI.

As a non-limiting example, FIGS. 32B-32F illustrate an embodiment of atransitional sequence of a GUI on a display screen or a portion thereof.FIG. 32B illustrates an example of the GUI after a scrolling sequencehas been initiated by the user. If not initially visible to the user,the scrollbar 3224 can appear, for example, responsive to the initiationof the scrolling sequence. As described herein, the scrollbar 3224 caninclude a trough 3230 that represents the size of the content library,and a bar 3234 that represents the portion of the content library thatis visible via the GUI.

The bar 3234 of the scrollbar 3224 can include a temporarily fixed edge3238 and a movable edge 3236, as described above. As the scrollingsequence proceeds, the temporarily fixed edge 3238 can remain static orfixed and the movable edge 3236 can move to represent the analogousmovement of the scrolling content.

The temporarily fixed edge 3238 acts as a sticky edge, because it canstick to its initial position during the scrolling, while the movableedge 3236 moves as described below. The position of the temporarilyfixed edge 3238 can be the initial position in the virtual content fromwhich the user starts to scroll. In this illustrative example, the userwas viewing an end of the layout of the virtual content and scrollingtowards the other end of the layout. Thus, the position of thetemporarily fixed edge 3238 is at the right hand side of the trough3230, representing an end of the layout of the content. If the user hadstarted the scroll while viewing a different position in the layout ofthe virtual content (e.g., away from an end), the position of thetemporarily fixed edge 3238 would be different than shown in FIGS.32B-32D, for example, away from the right-most edge of the trough 3230.

FIGS. 32C and 32D depict the movable edge 3236 of the bar 3234 moving tothe left as the scrolling content scrolls to the left. The movement ofthe moving edge can be substantially continuous or uniform or inproportion to the scrolling speed or can be discrete (e.g., occurring injumps as the content scrolls). Accordingly, as the GUI transitions fromFIG. 32B to FIG. 32C to FIG. 32D, the bar 3234 appears to stretch withinthe trough 3230. As described herein, during the scrolling sequence, thesize of the bar 3234 can indicate the amount of content over which theuser has scrolled during the scrolling sequence. As such, the scrollingsequence continues, the bar 3234 can continue to increase in size.

As the scrolling sequence ends, the icons 3202 can come to a stop, thecontent panel 3204 can disappear, and the temporarily fixed edge 3238can become unfixed and can move towards the movable edge 3236 until thesize of the bar 3234 corresponds to the portion of the content librarythat is visible via the GUI (compare, e.g., FIG. 32D to FIG. 32E).

FIGS. 32E and 32F depict the temporarily fixed edge 3238 of the bar 3234moving towards the movable edge 3228. At FIG. 32F, the bar 3234 has asize corresponding to the portion of the content library that is visiblevia the GUI, and is positioned within the trough 3230 such that the bar3234 indicates the portion of the content library that is currentlyvisible via the GUI. In some cases, after the scrolling sequence ends,the bar 3234 can appear to have shifted along the trough 3230 ascompared to FIG. 31B. In some cases, rather than moving the temporarilyfixed edge 3228 (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 32D) the temporarily fixededge 3238 can appear to snap from its fixed positioned to the finalposition (e.g., the positioned illustrated in FIG. 32E). Thefunctionality of the temporarily fixed edge 3238 and the movable edge3236 can be implemented or rendered differently than shown in FIGS.32B-32F in other implementations. For example, these edges need not beat opposing ends of the bar 3234, but can be rendered with points,lines, or other graphic elements.

FIG. 32F illustrates the end of the scrolling sequence. The length ofthe trough 3230 visually represents the entirety of the virtual content.In some embodiments, the entirety of the virtual content may be allvirtual content associated with a particular application. As an example,the particular application may be an audio player, and the entirety ofthe virtual content may include all the virtual content (e.g., icons orthumbnails) associated with songs or albums in the user's music library.In some embodiments, the entirety of the virtual content may be all ofthe virtual content contained within a grid. In some embodiments, theentirety of the virtual content may be the virtual content that iswithin the user's FOV. In some embodiments, the entirety of the virtualcontent may be the virtual content contained within one or more windowsfor an application. Other suitable determinations for the entirety ofthe virtual content may be used.

The length of the bar 3234 visually represents the fraction of thevirtual content that is rendered in the viewable window 3290. In someembodiments, the viewable window may be described as a subset of theentirety of the virtual content and may be a portion of the virtualcontent. In some embodiments, the subset may be a portion of the virtualcontent of an application or one or more windows of an application. Insome embodiments, the subset may be the portion of the virtual contentor an application or one or more windows of an application that iscontained within a control panel, content panel, window within a window,or the subset may be determined by any other suitable method ofseparating a subset of virtual content from an entire set of virtualcontent. In this example, about 25% of the entire virtual content isviewable by the user, since the length of the bar 3234 is about 25% ofthe length of the trough 3230. The position of the bar 3234 within thetrough 3230 (e.g., based on the center of the bar) indicates where theviewable content is relative to the entire content in the library.

After expiration of a time of inactivity (e.g., no scrolling), one ormore elements of the scrollbar 3224 can disappear or become hidden(e.g., not rendered at all or rendered at a reduced visibility or behindother content). Although FIGS. 32B-32F illustrate the scrollbar 3224near the bottom center of the FOV of the user, this is intended forillustration and is not a limitation. The scrollbar 3224 can bepositioned in different positions in the FOV, for example, near the top,near the left side, or near the right side. The scrollbar 3224 generallywill be elongated along a scrollbar axis, and the scrollbar axis may bepositioned along the direction of the scroll (e.g., horizontal in thisexample where scrolling occurs horizontally (e.g., left to right orright to left). If the scroll direction were vertical (e.g., up to downor down to up), the scrollbar 3224 could be elongated vertically. Theshape, size (e.g., length to width ratio), appearance, etc. of thescrollbar 3224 can be different than illustrated. In some embodiments,the system may provide audible or tactile sensations to accompany thescrolling.

Example Software Code

Appendix A includes an example of code in the C# programming languagethat can be used to perform an embodiment of the eclipse cursortechnology described herein. An embodiment of the process 2300 can beimplemented at least in part by the example code in Appendix A. AppendixA also includes description of the software code. The disclosure ofAppendix A is intended to illustrate an example implementation ofvarious features of the eclipse cursor technology and is not intended tolimit the scope of the technology. Appendix A is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety so as to form a part of thisspecification.

Additional Aspects

In a first aspect, a wearable display system includes a displayconfigured to be positioned in front of an eye of a user. The displaycan be further configured to project virtual content toward an eye ofthe user. The wearable display system further includes non-transitorystorage configured to store virtual content associated with a library ofvirtual content, and a hardware processor in communication with thedisplay and the non-transitory storage. The hardware processor isprogrammed to direct the display to render a virtual layout of virtualcontent associated with a subset of the library of virtual content,receive a user indication to scroll the virtual layout, and direct thedisplay to render a scrollbar that includes a bar having a temporarilyfixed edge and a movable edge. The temporarily fixed edge is renderedduring scrolling at a fixed position that is representative of aninitial scrolling location associated with the subset of the library ofvirtual content. The hardware processor is further programmed to directthe display to render, during scrolling, the movable end at a movableposition that is representative of a current scrolling locationassociated with the library of virtual content, and direct the displayto render, after scrolling ceases, the temporarily fixed edge at aposition such that a length of the bar relative to a length of thescrollbar is representative of a fractional amount of the library ofvirtual content that is rendered in the virtual layout.

In a second aspect, the wearable display system of aspect 1, wherein thevirtual layout includes a grid.

In a third aspect, the wearable display system of aspect 1 or aspect 2,wherein to receive the user indication to scroll the virtual layout, thehardware processor is programmed to receive an input from a user-inputdevice, to detect hovering of a cursor near a region of the virtuallayout, and/or to receive a detection of a user gesture.

In a fourth aspect, the wearable display system of any one of aspects 1to 3, wherein the scrollbar is not rendered by the display prior to thereceipt of the user indication to scroll the virtual layout.

In a fifth aspect, the wearable display system of any one of aspects 1to 4, wherein after expiration of a period of inactivity, the hardwareprocessor is programmed to direct the display to cease rendering thescrollbar.

In a sixth aspect, the wearable display system of any one of aspects 1to 5, wherein the scrollbar includes a trough, and the bar is renderedat least partially within the trough.

In a seventh aspect, the wearable display system of aspect 6, whereinthe hardware processor is further programmed to direct the display torender the bar in a graphical style that is different from a graphicalstyle used for the trough.

In an eighth aspect, the wearable display system of any one of aspects 1to 7, wherein the length of the bar is a distance between the positionof the temporarily fixed edge and the position of the movable edge afterscrolling ceases.

In a ninth aspect, the wearable display system of any one of aspects 1to 8, wherein the hardware processor is further programmed to direct thedisplay to render additional graphical elements indicative of a scrolldirection or a scroll amount.

In a tenth aspect, the wearable display system of any one of aspects 1to 9, wherein the scrollbar is elongated along a scrollbar axis, and thehardware processor is further programmed to direct the display to renderthe scrollbar such that the scrollbar axis is in a direction of thescrolling.

In an eleventh aspect, the wearable display system of any one of aspects1 to 10, wherein the hardware processor is further programmed to directthe display to render the scrollbar, after scrolling ceases, at aposition relative to the scrollbar that is representative of the currentscrolling location relative to the library of virtual content.

In a twelfth aspect, the wearable display system of any one of aspects 1to 11, wherein the hardware processor is further programmed to directthe display to render the movable position of the movable edge at a ratethat is representative of a scrolling speed of the scroll.

In a thirteenth aspect, the wearable display system of any one ofaspects 1 to 12, wherein, after scrolling ceases, the hardware processoris further programmed to direct the display to snap the position of thetemporarily fixed edge to the position such that a length of the barrelative to a length of the scrollbar is representative of a fractionalamount of the library of virtual content that is rendered in the virtuallayout.

In another aspect of the wearable display system of any one of aspects 1to 13, the virtual content can comprise an icon grid.

In a fourteenth aspect, a method including, under control of a displaysystem including computer hardware: directing a display to render avirtual layout of virtual content associated with a subset of thelibrary of virtual content; receiving a user indication to scroll thevirtual layout; directing the display to render a scrollbar thatincludes a bar having a temporarily fixed edge and a movable edge, thetemporarily fixed edge rendered during scrolling at a fixed positionthat is representative of an initial scrolling location associated withthe subset of the library of virtual content; directing the display torender, during scrolling, the movable end at a movable position that isrepresentative of a current scrolling location associated with thelibrary of virtual content; and directing the display to render, afterscrolling ceases, the temporarily fixed edge at a position such that alength of the bar relative to a length of the scrollbar isrepresentative of a fractional amount of the library of virtual contentthat is rendered in the virtual layout.

In a fifteenth aspect, the method of aspect 14, wherein the virtuallayout includes a grid.

In a sixteenth aspect, the method of any of aspects 14 to 15, whereinsaid receiving a user indication to scroll the virtual layout includesat least one of receiving an input from a user-input device, detectinghovering of a cursor near a region of the virtual layout, or receiving adetection of a user gesture.

In a seventeenth aspect, the method of any of aspects 14 to 16, whereinthe scrollbar is not rendered by the display prior to said receiving auser indication to scroll the virtual layout.

In a eighteenth aspect, the method of any of aspects 14 to 17, whereinthe method further includes after expiration of a period of inactivity,directing the display to cease rendering the scrollbar.

In a nineteenth aspect, the method of any of aspects 14 to 18, whereinthe scrollbar includes a trough, and the bar is rendered at leastpartially within the trough.

In a twentieth aspect, the method of aspect 29, wherein the methodfurther includes directing the display to render the bar in a graphicalstyle that is different from a graphical style used for the trough.

In a twenty-first aspect, the method of any of aspects 14 to 20, whereinthe length of the bar is a distance between the position of thetemporarily fixed edge and the position of the movable edge afterscrolling ceases.

In a twenty-second aspect, the method of any of aspects 14 to 21,wherein the method further includes directing the display to renderadditional graphical elements indicative of a scroll direction or ascroll amount.

In a twenty-third aspect, the method of any of aspects 14 to 22, whereinthe scrollbar is elongated along a scrollbar axis, and wherein themethod further includes directing the display to render the scrollbarsuch that the scrollbar axis is in a direction of the scrolling.

In a twenty-fourth aspect, the method of any of aspects 14 to 23,wherein the method further includes directing the display to render thescrollbar, after scrolling ceases, at a position relative to thescrollbar that is representative of the current scrolling locationrelative to the library of virtual content.

In a twenty-fifth aspect, the method of any of aspects 14 to 24, whereinthe method further includes directing the display to render the movableposition of the movable edge at a rate that is representative of ascrolling speed of the scroll.

In a twenty-sixth aspect, the method of any of aspects 14 to 25, whereinthe method further includes, after scrolling ceases, directing thedisplay to snap the position of the temporarily fixed edge to theposition such that a length of the bar relative to a length of thescrollbar is representative of a fractional amount of the library ofvirtual content that is rendered in the virtual layout.

In a twenty-seventh aspect, a display system includes a display, anon-transitory storage, and a hardware processor in communication withthe display and the non-transitory storage. The display is configured tobe positioned in front of an eye of a user and is further configured toproject virtual content in a field of view (FOV) toward an eye of theuser. The non-transitory storage is configured to store virtual contentassociated with a library of virtual content. The hardware processor isprogrammed to: direct the display to render virtual content associatedwith a subset of the library of virtual content in at least a portion ofthe FOV; receive a user indication to scroll the virtual layout; directthe display to render, during scrolling, a scrollbar that includes a barhaving a first end and a second end, the first end rendered at a fixedposition representative of an initial scrolling location associated withthe library of virtual content, and the second end rendered at a movingposition representative of a current scrolling location associated withthe library of virtual content; and direct the display to render, afterscrolling ceases, the first end at a position such that a length of thebar relative to a length of the scrollbar is representative of afractional amount of the library of virtual content that is rendered inthe at least a portion of the FOV.

In a twenty-eighth aspect, the wearable display system of aspect 27,wherein the hardware processor is programmed to direct the display torender the moving position of the second end at a rate corresponding toa scrolling speed of the scroll.

In a twenty-ninth aspect, the wearable display system of aspect 27 or28, wherein the hardware processor is programmed to direct the displayto render, after scrolling ceases, the first end of the scrollbar assnapping to the position such that a length of the bar relative to alength of the scrollbar is representative of a fractional amount of thelibrary of virtual content that is rendered in the at least a portion ofthe FOV.

In a thirtieth aspect, a display system includes a display, anon-transitory storage, and a hardware processor in communication withthe display and the non-transitory storage. The display is configured tobe positioned in front of an eye of a user and is further configured toproject virtual content in a field of view (FOV) toward an eye of theuser. The non-transitory storage is configured to store virtual contentassociated with a library of virtual content. The hardware processor isprogrammed to: direct the display to render a first subset of a libraryof virtual content; direct the display to render a scroll graphicincluding a first graphical element and a second graphical element, thescroll graphic having a scroll length; direct the display to render,during scrolling, the first graphical element of the scroll graphic at afixed position that is representative of an initial location of thefirst subset of the library of virtual content; direct the display torender, during the scrolling, the second graphical element of the scrollgraphic at a movable position that is representative of a currentlocation of the scrolling within the library of virtual content; directthe display to render, after the scrolling ceases, a second subset ofthe library of virtual content; and direct the display to render, afterthe scrolling ceases, the first graphical element at a first positionand the second graphical element at a second position. A distancebetween the first position and the second position relative to thescroll length of the scroll graphic is representative of an amount ofthe second subset relative to the entire library of virtual content.

In a thirty-first aspect, the display system of aspect 30, wherein thelibrary of virtual content includes a plurality of virtual icons.

In a thirty-second aspect, the display system of aspect 31, wherein todirect the display to render at least one of the first subset or thesecond subset of the library of virtual content, the hardware processoris further programmed to direct the display to render the plurality ofvirtual content in a virtual layout.

In a thirty-third aspect, the display system of aspect 32, wherein thevirtual layout includes a grid.

In a thirty-fourth aspect, the display system of any one of aspects 30to 33, wherein the scroll graphic includes a scrollbar, and the firstgraphical element and the second graphical element include portions of abar movable relative to the scrollbar.

In a thirty-fifth aspect, the display system of any one of aspects 30 to34, wherein the second subset of the library of virtual content isdifferent from the first subset of the library of virtual content.

In a thirty-sixth aspect, the display system of any one of aspects 30 to35, wherein to direct the display to render, during the scrolling, thesecond graphical element of the scroll graphic at a movable positionthat is representative of a current location of the scrolling within thelibrary of virtual content, the hardware processor is further programmedto direct the display to update the movable position at a raterepresentative of a scroll rate of the scrolling.

In a thirty-seventh aspect, a display system includes a display, anon-transitory storage, and a hardware processor in communication withthe display and the non-transitory storage. The display is configured tobe positioned in front of an eye of a user and is further configured toproject virtual content in a field of view (FOV) toward an eye of theuser. The non-transitory storage is configured to store virtual contentassociated with a library of virtual content. The hardware processor isprogrammed to: display a first subset of a library of virtual content;display a scroll graphic comprising a first graphical element and asecond graphical element, the scroll graphic having a scroll length;display, during scrolling, the first graphical element of the scrollgraphic at a fixed position that is representative of an initiallocation of the first subset of the library of virtual content; display,during the scrolling, the second graphical element of the scroll graphicat a movable position that is representative of a current location ofthe scrolling within the library of virtual content; display, after thescrolling ceases, a second subset of the library of virtual content; anddisplay, after the scrolling ceases, the first graphical element at afirst position and the second graphical element at a second position. Adistance between the first position and the second position id relativeto the scroll length of the scroll graphic is representative of anamount of the second subset relative to the entire library of virtualcontent.

In a thirty-eighth aspect, a method includes, under control of a displaysystem including computer hardware: directing a display to rendervirtual content associated with a subset of a library of virtual contentin at least a portion of a field of view (FOV); receiving a userindication to scroll a virtual layout; directing the display to render,during scrolling, a scrollbar that includes a bar having a first end anda second end, the first end rendered at a fixed position representativeof an initial scrolling location associated with the library of virtualcontent, and the second end rendered at a moving position representativeof a current scrolling location associated with the library of virtualcontent; and directing the display to render, after scrolling ceases,the first end at a position such that a length of the bar relative to alength of the scrollbar is representative of a fractional amount of thelibrary of virtual content that is rendered in the at least a portion ofthe FOV.

In a thirty-ninth aspect, the method of aspect 38, wherein the methodfurther includes directing the display to render the moving position ofthe second end at a rate corresponding to a scrolling speed of thescroll.

In a fortieth aspect, the method of any of aspects 38 or 39, wherein thehardware processor is further programmed to direct the display torender, after scrolling ceases, the first end of the scrollbar assnapping to the position such that a length of the bar relative to alength of the scrollbar is representative of a fractional amount of thelibrary of virtual content that is rendered in the at least a portion ofthe FOV.

In a fortieth-first aspect, a method includes, under control of adisplay system including computer hardware: directing a display torender a first subset of a library of virtual content, the displayconfigured to project virtual content in a field of view (FOV) toward aneye of a user; directing the display to render a scroll graphicincluding a first graphical element and a second graphical element, thescroll graphic having a scroll length; directing the display to render,during scrolling, the first graphical element of the scroll graphic at afixed position that is representative of an initial location of thefirst subset of the library of virtual content; directing the display torender, during the scrolling, the second graphical element of the scrollgraphic at a movable position that is representative of a currentlocation of the scrolling within the library of virtual content;directing the display to render, after the scrolling ceases, a secondsubset of the library of virtual content; and directing the display torender, after the scrolling ceases, the first graphical element at afirst position and the second graphical element at a second position. Adistance between the first position and the second position relative tothe scroll length of the scroll graphic is representative of an amountof the second subset relative to the entire library of virtual content.

In a forty-second aspect, the method of aspect 41 wherein the library ofvirtual content includes a plurality of virtual icons.

In a forty-third aspect, the method of any of aspects 41 or 42, whereinthe virtual layout includes a grid.

In a forty-fourth aspect, the method of any one of aspects 41 to 43,wherein the scroll graphic includes a scrollbar, and the first graphicalelement and the second graphical element include portions of a barmovable relative to the scrollbar.

In a forty-fifth aspect, the method of any one of aspects 41 to 44,wherein the second subset of the library of virtual content is differentfrom the first subset of the library of virtual content.

In a forty-sixth aspect, the method of any one of aspects 41 to 45,wherein directing the display to render the second graphical elementincludes directing the display to update the movable position at a raterepresentative of a scroll rate of the scrolling.

In a forty-seventh aspect, a method includes, under control of a displaysystem including computer hardware: displaying a first subset of alibrary of virtual content; displaying a scroll graphic including afirst graphical element and a second graphical element, the scrollgraphic having a scroll length; displaying, during scrolling, the firstgraphical element of the scroll graphic at a fixed position that isrepresentative of an initial location of the first subset of the libraryof virtual content; displaying, during the scrolling, the secondgraphical element of the scroll graphic at a movable position that isrepresentative of a current location of the scrolling within the libraryof virtual content; displaying, after the scrolling ceases, a secondsubset of the library of virtual content; and displaying, after thescrolling ceases, the first graphical element at a first position andthe second graphical element at a second position. A distance betweenthe first position and the second position relative to the scroll lengthof the scroll graphic is representative of an amount of the secondsubset relative to the entire library of virtual content.

In a forty-eighth aspect, the method of aspect 47, wherein the libraryof virtual content includes a plurality of virtual icons.

In a forty-ninth aspect, the method of any of aspects 47 or 48, whereindisplaying the first subset or the second subset of the library ofvirtual content includes displaying the plurality of virtual icons in avirtual layout.

In a fiftieth aspect, the method of aspect 49, wherein the virtuallayout includes a grid.

In a fifty-first aspect, the method of any of aspects 47 to 50, whereinthe scroll graphic includes a scrollbar, and the first graphical elementand the second graphical element include portions of a bar movablerelative to the scrollbar.

In a fifty-second aspect, the method of any of aspects 47 to 51, whereinthe second subset of the library of virtual content is different fromthe first subset of the library of virtual content.

In a fifty-third aspect, the method of any of aspects 47 to 52, whereindisplaying, during the scrolling, the second graphical element of thescroll graphic at a movable position that is representative of a currentlocation of the scrolling within the library of virtual content includesupdating the movable position at a rate representative of a scroll rateof the scrolling.

Additional Considerations

Each of the processes, methods, and algorithms described herein ordepicted in the attached figures may be embodied in, and fully orpartially automated by, code modules executed by one or more physicalcomputing systems, hardware computer processors, application-specificcircuitry, or electronic hardware configured to execute specific andparticular computer instructions. For example, computing systems caninclude general purpose computers (e.g., servers) programmed withspecific computer instructions or special purpose computers, specialpurpose circuitry, and so forth. A code module may be compiled andlinked into an executable program, installed in a dynamic link library,or may be written in an interpreted programming language. In someimplementations, particular operations and methods may be performed bycircuitry that is specific to a given function.

Further, certain implementations of the functionality of the presentdisclosure are sufficiently mathematically, computationally, ortechnically complex that application-specific hardware or one or morephysical computing devices (utilizing appropriate specialized executableinstructions) may be necessary to perform the functionality, forexample, due to the volume or complexity of the calculations involved orto provide results substantially in real-time. For example, a video mayinclude many frames, with each frame having millions of pixels, andspecifically programmed computer hardware is necessary to process thevideo data to provide a desired image processing task or application ina commercially reasonable amount of time.

Code modules or any type of data may be stored on any type ofnon-transitory computer-readable medium, such as physical computerstorage including hard drives, solid state memory, random access memory(RAM), read only memory (ROM), optical disc, volatile or non-volatilestorage, combinations of the same or the like. The methods and modules(or data) may also be transmitted as generated data signals (e.g., aspart of a carrier wave or other analog or digital propagated signal) ona variety of computer-readable transmission mediums, includingwireless-based and wired/cable-based mediums, and may take a variety offorms (e.g., as part of a single or multiplexed analog signal, or asmultiple discrete digital packets or frames). The results of thedisclosed processes or process steps may be stored, persistently orotherwise, in any type of non-transitory, tangible computer storage ormay be communicated via a computer-readable transmission medium.

Any processes, blocks, states, steps, or functionalities in flowdiagrams described herein or depicted in the attached figures should beunderstood as potentially representing code modules, segments, orportions of code which include one or more executable instructions forimplementing specific functions (e.g., logical or arithmetical) or stepsin the process. The various processes, blocks, states, steps, orfunctionalities can be combined, rearranged, added to, deleted from,modified, or otherwise changed from the illustrative examples providedherein. In some embodiments, additional or different computing systemsor code modules may perform some or all of the functionalities describedherein. The methods and processes described herein are also not limitedto any particular sequence, and the blocks, steps, or states relatingthereto can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate, forexample, in serial, in parallel, or in some other manner Tasks or eventsmay be added to or removed from the disclosed example embodiments.Moreover, the separation of various system components in theimplementations described herein is for illustrative purposes and shouldnot be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations.It should be understood that the described program components, methods,and systems can generally be integrated together in a single computerproduct or packaged into multiple computer products. Many implementationvariations are possible.

The processes, methods, and systems may be implemented in a network (ordistributed) computing environment. Network environments includeenterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, local area networks (LAN),wide area networks (WAN), personal area networks (PAN), cloud computingnetworks, crowd-sourced computing networks, the Internet, and the WorldWide Web. The network may be a wired or a wireless network or any othertype of communication network.

The systems and methods of the disclosure each have several innovativeaspects, no single one of which is solely responsible or required forthe desirable attributes disclosed herein. The various features andprocesses described above may be used independently of one another, ormay be combined in various ways. All possible combinations andsubcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of thisdisclosure. Various modifications to the implementations described inthis disclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, andthe generic principles defined herein may be applied to otherimplementations without departing from the spirit or scope of thisdisclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theimplementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with this disclosure, the principles and the novel featuresdisclosed herein.

Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate implementations also can be implemented in combination in asingle implementation. Conversely, various features that are describedin the context of a single implementation also can be implemented inmultiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination.Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more featuresfrom a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from thecombination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination. No single feature orgroup of features is necessary or indispensable to each and everyembodiment.

Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,”“might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically statedotherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, isgenerally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, whileother embodiments do not include, certain features, elements or steps.Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply thatfeatures, elements or steps are in any way required for one or moreembodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logicfor deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether thesefeatures, elements or steps are included or are to be performed in anyparticular embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,”and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-endedfashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts,operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusivesense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example,to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all ofthe elements in the list. In addition, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the”as used in this application and the appended claims are to be construedto mean “one or more” or “at least one” unless specified otherwise.

As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of itemsrefers to any combination of those items, including single members. Asan example, “at least one of: A, B, or C” is intended to cover: A, B, C,A and B, A and C, B and C, and A, B, and C. Conjunctive language such asthe phrase “at least one of X, Y and Z,” unless specifically statedotherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in generalto convey that an item, term, etc. may be at least one of X, Y or Z.Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply thatcertain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y and atleast one of Z to each be present.

Similarly, while operations may be depicted in the drawings in aparticular order, it is to be recognized that such operations need notbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. Further, the drawings may schematically depict one more exampleprocesses in the form of a flowchart. However, other operations that arenot depicted can be incorporated in the example methods and processesthat are schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additionaloperations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or betweenany of the illustrated operations. Additionally, the operations may berearranged or reordered in other implementations. In certaincircumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.Moreover, the separation of various system components in theimplementations described above should not be understood as requiringsuch separation in all implementations, and it should be understood thatthe described program components and systems can generally be integratedtogether in a single software product or packaged into multiple softwareproducts. Additionally, other implementations are within the scope ofthe following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claimscan be performed in a different order and still achieve desirableresults.

APPENDIX A

A portion of the disclosure of this Appendix contains material which issubject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection tothe facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or thepatent disclosure (which includes this Appendix), as it appears in thePatent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwisereserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

The following computer code and description are intended to illustratevarious embodiments of the eclipse cursor technology but are notintended to limit the scope of the eclipse cursor technology.

I. Eclipse Cursor Overview

The Eclipse cursor represents a way of highlighting user selections whenusing a pointing device. Rather than the conventional approach ofshowing a small pointer ‘sprite’ that moves over or in front ofselectable content, the Eclipse cursor moves behind that content andoffers positional feedback to the user via the motion of a glow thatradiates out from behind the selected item. By continuing to accuratelytrack user input even while highlighting the selected item, the Eclipseglow will shift in position to offer sustained input feedback and anaccurate sense of cursor position to the user. In the example describedin this Appendix, users use an eclipse cursor to target planar userinterface (UI) elements by moving a touch-controlled cursor or a focusindicator. And relative cursor's logic and data is based on touchpadinformation which is provided by a GripTotem script. This document showsexamples of relative eclipse cursor input algorithms.

II. Eclipse Cursor Features

The cursor can have inertia. The cursor position can be clipped to apanel. The panel can have rounding settings so that the input area canbe round, a capsule, or a rectangle with some degree of corner rounding.The cursor can have the functionality to snap onto elements when auser's finger is released from the touchpad.

III. Relative Mechanics

The class CursorRelativeInput can implement the relative cursor. It canupdate the position of a cursor that sits within a bounded region of a3D plane in response to user input (e.g., Totem touch-pad feedback). Theterm relative can be used to describe the cursor's core input-to-motionresponse: as the user pushes on the Totem's touch-pad the system willupdate the cursor such that it appears to proceed along an equivalentmotion heading within the control plane; each motion step can berelative to the previous position.

A. Cursor and Panel Interaction

An instance of CursorRelativelnput is spawned (as one of several cursorcontrol choices) by an EclipsePanel. The panel can provide a concept ofactivity scope to the cursor—when the panel has Focus, the cursorinstance can be updated. It can also define bounds of cursor motion, aswell as the primary set of elements with which the cursor can interact(e.g., buttons that are children of that same panel instance).

Examples of EclipsePanel are shown in FIG. 22. The regions below“Social”, “Application”, and “Store” are EclipsePanels.

Cursor bounds can be defined as a rectangular region that map exactly todimensions specified for an EclipsePanel, or may be a secondary set ofcustom bounds provided by the panel (e.g. if the control regionrepresents just a subset of the space occupied by the panel).

A panel can possess a ‘rounding’ attribute consistent with other Eclipseelements. This can mean that the panel (and thus the cursor bounds) canbe a perfect circle or capsule, a sharp-cornered square or rectangle, orany rounded corner shape in between. The relative cursor respects thepanel's rounding state as bounds can be applied.

In some cases, there may be an arbitrary number of panels active.Therefore, there can be multiple relative cursor instances in existence.In some cases, only one panel can have Input Focus. This can be the onlypanel that will be actively updating its cursor. This can be achievedvia a call from the central EclipseUI class and the result of thisupdate can be a cursor ray that will project from a user centricposition (e.g. headpose or totem position) through a position on thepanel's control plane.

In addition or alternatively to detecting buttons belonging to its hostpanel, a cursor may detect buttons belonging to other panels that arepermitted to share Focus with the active Input Panel.

B. Cursor Collision

Using a Cursor Ray provided by the Input Panel's cursor update,EclipseUI_can perform a ray-cast against active interactable elements(e.g., buttons belonging to panels that currently have Focus). The testperformed here can use a math-based ray-cast which offers severaladvantages over using colliders. For example, the advantages caninclude, but are not limited to:

-   -   The test can reflect the rounding shape of the button (e.g.,        using the same math that is used to render the buttons for        optimum consistency).    -   The system can determine both whether a button is being hovered        and how close a button may be to the cursor. This can serve at        least two important functions. First, the system can determined        which buttons are proximate to the cursor, and based on this        determined, the system can start to show an Eclipse glow as it        approaches those buttons. Second, in some cases, it is desirable        to find the nearest button to the current cursor position (e.g.        for Gravity Well support).    -   By avoiding the need for colliders, scenes can appear cleaner        and the system can side-step complexity inherent to the correct        filtering of collisions or avoiding accidental occlusion of        buttons either by other buttons or other scene based colliders.

Based at least in part on the ray-cast, the system can determine that aparticular button has been ‘hit’. In some cases, in response to thisdetermination, the system can employ a secondary collider based test.This test can fire the same cursor ray at the button position. However,this time the system tests for colliders possessing a ‘UI’ collisionlayer. In some cases, this offers a mechanism that allows a givenEclipsePanel to be configured with a solid ‘back-plane.’ In other words,it can prevent cursor-ray casts from passing through gaps in the panelto hit interactables that may be behind it. One example is a keyboardwhich sits in front of active search results. It can be undesirable forthose results to be interactive through the keyboard. Instead, it may bedesirable for the results to be interactive only when adjacent to thekeyboard.

Collision Implementation:

Collision can be registered against one interactable per frame (e.g.,the first frame to be hit). However, the system can continue to testagainst others in order to update their proximity glow states.

Some interactables can be given priority testing. For example, eachframe that included a hovered interactable from the previous update canbe given priority in testing that frame against that same interactable.This can help ensure a stable collision response.

In some cases, if the frame doesn't hit, then the system will test againat the position it would have occupied had it not been hovered. This isa measure to address a case of hysteresis that can otherwise occur if abutton steps forward in response to being hovered. In that case, thecursor position may remain unchanged leading to the next cursor raymissing the button, causing it to step back again and loop.

The user may be able to modify a collision size scalar for an activelyhovered button. This, for example, can be useful for small buttons tomake it harder to accidentally overshoot them or move away from themwhile attempting to use a trackpad press in order to click the button.For example, the size of the button can be slightly increased whilehovered, and can return to 1 tol scale when de-hovered. Once aninteractive element is hovered by the cursor, further interactions (e.g.button press) can be handled by specific classes. This can occur via thestandard Eclipse Event mechanism via OnHover/DeHover, OnClick,OnClickStart/End style events.

C. Cursor Rendering

Another aspect of cursor handling can be cursor rendering. In mostcases, only one cursor is visible (e.g., the one from the Input Focuspanel). This cursor can be shown via the Eclipse render pass.

Whether the cursor's position is shown in the form of an Eclipse‘back-glow,’ a more conventional positional dot, or the like, is basedat least in part on various factors. For example, the factors caninclude: whether an Eclipse element is currently being hovered; if not,whether the ‘dot’ cursor is allowed to be visible for the active panel.In some cases, the cursor can be entirely hidden.

IV. Relative Cursor Update Implementation

For any cursor mode, the system has a settings structure (in some cases,that is configurable per panel) that allows a user or the system tocustomize behavior. For example, for the Relative Cursor, the settingsstructure can include, but is not limited to:

-   -   MotionScalar        -   This allows for control of a speed of the cursor. For            example, it can allow for control of a size of movement            steps that are based upon touch-pad input.    -   Choose X or Y input/Orthogonalize Swipe        -   These options can allow for biasing input handling to favor            one axis over another, or to prefer cardinal motion            directions. For example, an option can allow a choice            between the larger of the X or Y components of the current            touch-input. A bias factor can add additional control.        -   Orthogonalize Swipes can mean that when input in a certain            axis exceeds a threshold, the motion can be zero in the            other axis. This can be useful, for example, for a keyboard            where there are many buttons positioned in a grid the system            knows that the user's intention will often be to cleanly            move the cursor along a row of adjacent letters.    -   Gravity Well Support        -   When the user releases the touch-pad, these options allow            the cursor to slide (e.g., as if pulled by gravity) to a            position within the nearest button. In some cases, this            sliding of the cursor can always happen, never happen, or            happen only if the nearest button is within a certain            distance tolerance. The settings can include whether the            cursor will move to the nearest position on the nearest            button, or to a position that aligns with either/both of the            button's X and Y axes (e.g. if there is a row of long,            adjacent buttons, it may be desirable to snap to a central Y            or perhaps to a central X for a vertical stack of smaller            circular buttons). The settings can also include whether use            of gravity wells is wanted that are just within a host            panel, or whether elements present on other ‘in focus’            panels can be considered too.    -   Edge Pushes        -   Using touchpad controls, a user can switch input focus from            one panel to another. When the cursor hits the edge bounds            of the panel, the system can send an event to the user,            which the user can use to initiate a panel transition in            accordance with the push direction. In some cases, the            system may choose Spring Loaded edges, which can cause            visual feedback (e.g., motion of the host panel) to help            convey that the edge push is occurring. In this case, if a            certain push extent isn't exceeded then the panel can spring            back to its original position with no edge-push event having            been sent. In some cases, the settings include a timed            option (e.g., a push against an edge for a certain time),            and a double-tap option (e.g., a bump against an edge,            release input and then swipe again against the same edge).    -   Inertia Controls        -   Whenever the user is providing touch-pad input and cursor            motion is being determined or rendered, the system can also            associate movement of the cursor which can mimic a degree of            ‘inertia’. For example, this movement can be applied from            the moment that active input ceases. It can cause the cursor            to continue along its motion path until a dampening force            reduces the “inertia” back to zero. Controls can limit how            much inertia can build up, as well as allowing for inertia            boosts to be applied in the event of the user releasing the            touchpad at the end of a fast ‘swipe’ action (e.g.,            corresponding to a configurable threshold). Inertia Boost is            intended to support fast swipes through long itemized lists            (e.g. to allow one mega-swipe to carry the cursor from            top-to-bottom, if the user chooses).    -   Scrolling Support        -   Where a panel has content that exceeds its available screen            real-estate it may scroll. The Relative Cursor can have            built-in push-scroll support. Configurable parameters can            control a distance from the panel edge at which push-scroll            motion steps will be applied.

Based on how the Relative Cursor is configured (e.g., via theconfigurable settings), the relative cursor update can include, one ormore of the following steps:

-   -   Check for touchpad swipe)        -   For example, check if fast finger motion across the            touch-pad that has just ended.        -   Potentially apply inertia boost.    -   Check for regular touch input        -   Apply motion to the cursor position        -   Build up directional inertia.    -   If No touch-pad input        -   Apply inertia based motion to cursor position        -   If touch-pad input just ended, then lookup the closest            Gravity Well        -   Perform potential Gravity Well processing to apply cursor            motion.            -   NOTE: This can be layered on top of inertia so that the                two can operate together. For example, gravity snapping                can begin once inertia has sufficiently subsided.    -   Handle push-scrolling for scrolling panel types        -   Clip cursor position against push-scroll bounds, apply            ‘overflow’ to scroll offset    -   Clip the cursor position to our panel's bounds.        -   This can be implemented in a way that ensures the cursor can            cleanly slide around any curved corners.    -   Check for edge pushes        -   Track time-based/double-tap/spring-loaded edge pushes or            send an event to user.    -   Decay inertia

V. Input Language

-   -   EclipseUI

EclipseUI is a set of Unity classes to support rendering of buttons andcursors.

EclipsePanel

EclipsePanel is a class within EclipseUI. A panel supports per-panelcursor render and settings. CursorRelativelnput (and other optionalcursor type classes) are allocated and updated by an EclipsePanelinstance. The panel has a concept of ‘Focus’ (their buttons can beclicked) and ‘Input Focus’ (their cursor is refreshed and will render asthe active system cursor). The panel has ‘Focus’ can be set whenheadpose targets it. There can be multiple ‘Focus’ panels but only onewith ‘Input Focus’.

CursorRelativeInput

CursorRelativeInput class is implemented by ICursor interface. Thiscursor has inertia, button snapping and edge push features.

-   -   Totem

TouchPad

A touch pad is a circle surface (device) for pointing (controlling inputpositioning) on totem

A. GripTotem

GripTotem is a class which reads raw data from a serial port.

VI. Eclipsepanel

A. [Parameter]

// Notes: // Area can be set based on Dimensions and Rounding values(See “Clip the Cursor Position to a Panel”). // Each instance ofEclipsePanel may have different EclipseRelativeCursorSettings settings.// EclipsePanel limits the cursor's position to the defined panel areaVector2 Dimensions; [Range(0.0f, 1.0f)] [Tooltip(″Rounding value forpanel. 0 = round, 1 = square″)] public float rounding; publicEclipseRelativeCursorSettings relativeCursorSettings; boolEclipsePanelShowCursor private ICursor cursor; // Cursor behavior activewhile panel ′HasFocus′ private Transform cursorTransform; // Transformsupplying a cursor position. public bool hasFocus; public boolhasInputFocus;B. [Function]

// RefreshCursor is called from LateUpdate of a panel that has inputfocus. public void RefreshCursor(bool ignoreLimits = false) {cursor.Refresh(cursorTransform, ignoreLimits);  }

VII. Icursor

// ICursor // RefreshCursor is called from LateUpdate of a panel thathas input focus. // All cursor update can be performed in the localspace of the host panel. public interface ICursor {  Vector2LocalPosition { get; set; } void Reset( ); void Set(Vector2 pos); voidRefresh(Transform cursorTransform, bool ignoreLimits); }

VIII. Relative Cursor

A. [Serializable Class]

[System.Serializable] EclipseRelativeCursorSettings public classEclipseRelativeCursorSettings { [Tooltip(“Scalar for global cursormotion rate”)] public Vector2 motionScalar = Vector2.one;[Tooltip(“Should cursor trat buttons as gravity wells?”)] publicEclipseGravityWellSupport gravityWellSupport; [Tooltip(“Should we alwayscenter on buttons when gravity well snapping?”)] public boolcenterOnGravityWells = false; [Tooltip(“Should only we consider gravitywells within the host panel?”)] public bool hostGravityWellsOnly =false; [Tooltip(“Detect relative cursor ‘push’ action at edge ofbounds?”)] public bool detectEdgePush = true; [Tooltip(“Support cursorsnap?”)] public bool supportCursorSnap = false; [Tooltip(“Orthogonalizeswipes for cursor snap?”)] public bool orthogonalizeswipes = true;[Tooltip(“Scope cursor snap to host panel?”)] public boolscopeSnappingToHostPanel = true; [Tooltip(“Minimum swipe velocity totrigger cursor snap”)] public float cursorSnapSwipeVelocity = 2.0f;[Tooltip(“Maximum duration of swipe to trigger cursor snap”)] publicfloat cursorSnapSwipeMaxDuration = 0.35f; }B. [Parameter]

private EclipsePanel parentPanel; // Panel that owns this ‘cursor’private Vector2 targetPosition; // private Vector2 position; privateVector2 inertia; private Vector2 edgePushTimers; private EclipseEdgeMaskedgePushFlags; private EclipseEdgeMask edgePushLatched; private floatblendToTargetTimer; private EclipseRelativeCursorSettings settings;C. [Function]

// cursorTransform is the transform of an object which belong to thehost panel and represents the cursor position in world-space. It can beupdated here. // Cursor has inertiapublic void Refresh(Transform cursorTransform, bool ignoreLimits)

{ If (setting supportCursorSnap == true && Detect swipe gesture on totem== true){ // If the system detects swipe gesture, cursor will try tofind EclipseButtons and snap to button's position // Handle Snap buttonhere }else{ // While the user keeps their finger on the touchpad, thesystem builds up an inertia vector. When the user releases the touch,the inertia will be applied to the targetPosition if(EclipseUI.instance.CheckForInput(InputState.Touch)) { Vector2 ms =settings.motionScalar; Vector2 diff =Vector2.Scale(EclipseUI.TrackpadDelta,Vector2.Scale(EclipseSettings.Cursor.misc.relativeCursorSensitivity,ms)) * Time.deltaTime; float iMag = diff.sqrMagnitude >inertia.sqrMagnitude ? diff.magnitude: inertia.magnitude; inertia +=diff * EclipseSettings.Cursor.misc.relativeCursorInertiaFrac; inertia =inertia.normalized * iMag; targetPosition += diff; allowEdgePush = true;} else { targetPosition += inertia; edgePushLatched = edgePushFlags;edgePushTimers = Vector2.zero; }  } // Handle Gravity well here // Clipthe position to the given panel dimensions Vector2 unbounded =targetPosition;  targetPosition =parentPanel.ClipPointToCursorBOunds_(targetPosition); // Handle EdgePush // This can be a time independent dampening function thatdecelerates towards the given target position over a specified time.position = Util.ExpStep(position, targetPosition, targetBlendRate); cursorTransform.position =parentPanel.transform.TransformPoint(position); // Inertia falls offover the specified dampening period...  inertia.x =Util.ExpStep(inertia.x, 0.0f, EclipseSettings.Cursor.misc.relativeCursorInertiaDampening.x); inertia.y = Util.ExpStep(inertia.y, 0.0f, EclipseSettings.Cursor.misc.relativeCursorInertiaDampening.y); //Handle Gravity well here if(EclipseUI.instance.CheckForInput(InputState.Touch)) {  // We have touchinput that will move the cursor. In some cases, any inertia or gravitywell processing can cease immediately  //gravityWell = null; checkForGravityWell = true; //Next time there's no input  Vector2 ms =settings.motionScalar;  if (parentPanel.invertHorizontalCursorHandling){  ms.x = −ms.x;  } Vector2 delta = EclipseUI.TrackpadDelta;  if(!settings.IsMovingXandY){  float deltaDiff = Mathf.Abs(delta.y) −Mathf.Abs(delta.x);  if(deltaDiff > settings.XBias){  delta.x = 0; }else{  delta.y = 0;  }  }  Vector2 diff = Vector2.Scale(delta,Vector2.Scale(EclipseSettings.Cursor.misc.relativeCursorSensitivity,ms)) * Time.deltaTime;  //Build up an inertia vector while we have touchinput...  float iMag = diff.sqrMagnitude > inertia.sqrMagnitude ?diff.magnitude: inertia.magnitude;  inertia += diff *EclipseSettings.Cursor.misc.relativeCursorInertiaFrac;  inertia =inertia.normalized * iMag;  targetPosition += diff;  allowEdgePush =true; } else { // No input but inertia will potentially keep the cursorin motion.  float inertiaStepLen = Mathf.Min(inertia.magnitude,settings.maxInertiaStep);  //Debug.Log(“Inertia Step: ” +inertiaStepLen);  bool refreshGravityWell = gravityWell != null;  if((settings.gravityWellSupport != EclipseGravityWellSupport.None) && checkForGravityWell &&  ((settings.gravityWellSupport ==EclipseGravityWellSupport.Always) ∥  (inertiaStepLen <EclipseSettings.Cursor.misc.gravityWellInertiaThreshold))) {  // Choosea gravity well target (if available) and start blend to it CheckForGravity Well( );  checkForGravityWell = refreshGravityWell =false;  }  if (refreshGravityWell) {  // Gravity well position may shiftas inertia carries cursor forward.  // We can ensure that the positiondoesn't exceed button bounds  if (gravityWell.DistanceToButton > 0.0f) { gravityWell.Refresh( ); gravityWell.ForceAsHit(settings.centerOnGravityWells);  }  } targetPosition += inertia.normalized * inertiaStepLen;  if((gravityWell != null) && (blendToTargetTimer > 0.0f)) {  // Blend frominertial motion to exact gravity well position  float f = 1.0f −(blendToTargetTimer / EclipseSettings.Cursor.misc.gravityWellBlendTime); targetPosition = Vector2.Lerp(targetPosition,(Vector2)pt.InverseTransformPoint(gravityWell.ResultPoint), f);  } edgePushLatched = edgePushFlags;  edgePushTimers = Vector2.zero;  }

IX. Clip the Cursor Position to a Panel

//Refresh function. Rounding settings for the panel mean the input areamay be round, a capsule, or a rectangle with some degree of cornerrounding. public Vector2 ClipPointToCursorBounds(Vector2 pt) { if(customCursorBounds) {  if (TotemInput.instance.CurrentDeviceType == typeof(KeyboardMouseTotem))  {  pt −= cursorBoundsOffset;  } returnUtil.ClipPointToShape(cursorBoundsDimensions, rounding, pt); } else {return Util.ClipPointToShape(FrameDimensions, rounding, pt); } } // Clippoint to be within a rounded shape sized by input dimensions and withcorner rounding controlled by a 0−>1 value where 0 = round, 1 = square.public static Vector2 ClipPointToShape(Vector2 shapeDims, floatshapeRounding, Vector2 p) {  float hd, r; Vector2 l0; Vector2 l1; if(shapeDims.x > shapeDims.y) { r = shapeDims.y * 0.5f; hd =Mathf.Max(0.0f, (shapeDims.x − shapeDims.y) * 0.5f); l0 = newVector2(−hd, 0.0f); l1 = new Vector2(hd, 0.0f); } else { r =shapeDims.x * 0.5f; hd = Mathf.Max(0.0f, (shapeDims.y − shapeDims.x) *0.5f); l0 = new Vector2(0.0f, −hd); l1 = new Vector2(0.0f, hd); }Vector3 d = DistanceToLinePoint(l0, l1, p, shapeRounding); float lim =r * d.z; if (d.x > lim) { Vector2 lp = l0 + ((l1 − l0) * d.y); returnlp + ((p − lp).normalized * lim); } return p; }

What is claimed is:
 1. A wearable display system comprising: a displayconfigured to be positioned in front of an eye of a user, the displayconfigured to project virtual content toward the eye of the user; andnon-transitory storage configured to store virtual content associatedwith a library of virtual content; a hardware processor in communicationwith the display and the non-transitory storage, the hardware processorprogrammed to: direct the display to render a virtual layout of virtualcontent associated with a first subset of the library of virtualcontent; receive a user indication to scroll the virtual layout; directthe display to render a scrollbar comprising a bar having a temporarilyfixed edge, a movable edge, and an initial length therebetween, whereinthe temporarily fixed edge is rendered during scrolling at a fixedposition that is representative of an initial scrolling location; duringscrolling, direct the display to move rendering of the movable edge ofthe bar to a second position that is representative of a currentscrolling location associated with the library of virtual content whilethe temporarily fixed edge stays at the fixed position, wherein the baris longer than the initial length during scrolling; and after scrollingceases with a second subset of the library of virtual content renderedin the virtual layout, while the movable edge stays at the secondposition, direct the display to move rendering of the temporarily fixededge of the bar to a position such that the length of the bar returns tothe initial length.
 2. The wearable display system of claim 1, whereinthe virtual layout comprises a grid.
 3. The wearable display system ofclaim 1, wherein to receive the user indication to scroll the virtuallayout, the hardware processor is programmed to receive an input from auser-input device, to detect hovering of a cursor near a region of thevirtual layout, or to receive a detection of a user gesture.
 4. Thewearable display system of claim 1, wherein the scrollbar is notrendered by the display prior to the receipt of the user indication toscroll the virtual layout.
 5. The wearable display system of claim 1,wherein after expiration of a period of inactivity, the hardwareprocessor directs the display to cease rendering the scrollbar.
 6. Thewearable display system of claim 1, wherein the scrollbar comprises atrough, and the bar is rendered at least partially within the trough. 7.The wearable display system of claim 6, wherein the hardware processoris programmed to direct the display to render the bar in a graphicalstyle that is different from a graphical style used for the trough. 8.The wearable display system of claim 1, wherein the hardware processoris further programmed to direct the display to render additionalgraphical elements indicative of a scroll direction or a scroll amount.9. The wearable display system of claim 1, wherein the scrollbar iselongated along a scrollbar axis, and the hardware processor isprogrammed to direct the display to render the scrollbar such that thescrollbar axis is in a direction of the scrolling.
 10. The wearabledisplay system of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is programmedto direct the display to render the second position of the movable edgeat a rate that is representative of a scrolling speed of said scrolling.11. The wearable display system of claim 1, wherein, prior to saiddirecting the display to move rendering of the temporarily fixed edge ofthe bar to the position such that the length of the bar returns to theinitial length after scrolling ceases, the hardware processor isprogrammed to direct the display to move rendering of the temporarilyfixed edge to an intermediate position such that the length of the baris an intermediate length, wherein the intermediate length is longerthan the initial length during scrolling but shorter than a length whilethe temporarily fixed edge stays at the fixed position.
 12. The wearabledisplay system of claim 1, wherein the virtual content comprises an icongrid.
 13. A method comprising: under control of a display systemcomprising computer hardware: directing a display to render a virtuallayout of virtual content associated with a first subset of a library ofvirtual content; receiving a user indication to scroll the virtuallayout; directing the display to render a scrollbar comprising a barhaving a temporarily fixed edge, a movable edge, and an initial lengththerebetween, wherein the temporarily fixed edge is rendered duringscrolling at a fixed position that is representative of an initialscrolling location; during scrolling, directing the display to move themovable edge to a second position that is representative of a currentscrolling location associated with the library of virtual content whilethe temporarily fixed edge stays at the fixed position, wherein the baris longer than the initial length during scrolling; and after scrollingceases with a second subset of the library of virtual content renderedin the virtual layout, while the movable edge stays at the secondposition, directing the display to move the temporarily fixed edge to aposition such that the length of the bar returns to the initial length.14. A display system comprising: a display configured to be positionedin front of an eye of a user, the display configured to project virtualcontent in a field of view (FOV) toward an eye of the user; andnon-transitory storage configured to store virtual content associatedwith a library of virtual content; a hardware processor in communicationwith the display and the non-transitory storage, the hardware processorprogrammed to: direct the display to render virtual content associatedwith a first subset of the library of virtual content in at least aportion of the FOV; receive a user indication to scroll the library ofvirtual content; during scrolling, direct the display to stretch ascrollbar that comprises a bar having a first end, a second end, and aninitial length therebetween, wherein the first end is rendered duringscrolling at a fixed position representative of an initial scrollinglocation, and the second end moved to a second position representativeof a current scrolling location associated with the library of virtualcontent while the first end stays at the fixed position, wherein the baris longer than the initial length during scrolling; and after scrollingceases, after scrolling ceases with a second subset of the library ofvirtual content rendered in the virtual layout, while the second endstays at the second position, direct the display to move the first endto a position such that the length of the bar returns to the initiallength of the scrollbar such that a fractional amount of the library ofvirtual content is rendered in the at least a portion of the FOV.
 15. Adisplay system comprising: a display configured to be positioned infront of an eye of a user, the display configured to project virtualcontent in a field of view (FOV) toward an eye of the user; andnon-transitory storage configured to store virtual content associatedwith a library of virtual content; a hardware processor in communicationwith the display and the non-transitory storage, the hardware processorprogrammed to: direct the display to render a first subset of thelibrary of virtual content; direct the display to render a scrollgraphic comprising a first graphical element and a second graphicalelement, the scroll graphic having an initial scroll lengththerebetween; during scrolling, direct the display to render the firstgraphical element of the scroll graphic at a fixed position that isrepresentative of an initial scrolling location; during scrolling,direct the display to move the second graphical element of the scrollgraphic to a second position that is representative of a currentscrolling location associated with the library of virtual content whilethe first graphical element stays at the fixed position, wherein thescroll graphic is longer than the initial length during scrolling; afterthe scrolling ceases, direct the display to render a second subset ofthe library of virtual content; and after the scrolling ceases, whilethe second graphical element stays at the second position, direct thedisplay to move rendering of the first graphical element, wherein thescroll length of the scroll graphic returns to the initial scrolllength.
 16. A method comprising: under control of a display systemcomprising computer hardware: directing a display to render virtualcontent associated with a first subset of a library of virtual contentin at least a portion of a field of view (FOV); receiving a userindication to scroll a virtual layout; during scrolling, directing thedisplay to stretch a scrollbar that comprises a bar having a first end,a second end, and an initial length therebetween, wherein the first endis rendered during scrolling at a fixed position representative of aninitial scrolling location, and the second end moved to a secondposition representative of a current scrolling location associated withthe library of virtual content while the first end stays at the fixedposition, wherein the bar is longer than the initial length duringscrolling; and after scrolling ceases, with a second subset of thelibrary of virtual content rendered in the virtual layout, while thesecond end stays at the second position, directing the display to movethe first end to a position such that the length of the bar returns tothe initial length of the scrollbar.
 17. A method comprising: undercontrol of a display system comprising computer hardware: directing adisplay to render a first subset of a library of virtual content, thedisplay configured to project virtual content in a field of view (FOV)toward an eye of a user; directing the display to render a scrollgraphic comprising a first graphical element and a second graphicalelement, the scroll graphic having an initial scroll lengththerebetween; during scrolling, directing the display to render thefirst graphical element of the scroll graphic at a fixed position thatis representative of an initial scrolling location; during scrolling,directing the display to move the second graphical element of the scrollgraphic to a second position that is representative of a currentscrolling location associated with the library of virtual content whilethe first graphical element stays at the fixed position, wherein thescroll graphic is longer than the initial length during scrolling; afterthe scrolling ceases, directing the display to render a second subset ofthe library of virtual content; and after the scrolling ceases, whilethe second graphical element to a stays at the second position,directing the display to move rendering of the first graphical element,wherein the scroll length of the scroll graphic returns to the initialscroll length.